


Ouroboros

by PixelDarling



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Gracepoint (TV)
Genre: Crossover Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-28
Updated: 2015-05-11
Packaged: 2018-03-26 04:36:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 52,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3837319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PixelDarling/pseuds/PixelDarling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn’t what he would want her to do, spend the rest of her days consumed with her grief. He really would want her to find a way to be happy again. It was, after all, what the words she couldn’t turn off meant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I suddenly found myself feeling like the world needed more Rose/Carver fiction, so I gave into the temptation.

** Prologue **

 

Pete’s World

Rose

June 2014

 

                “Doctor!” she screamed as she felt him shove her away forcefully. Very forcefully. With more force than she had ever imagined he would use on her, in fact.

 

                In that moment, time slowed to a crawl for Rose. It was as if the air had become a thick jelly, but she could see everything with startling clarity. She felt her hip, shoulder and head collide with the rough cement floor. She watched their attacker’s hand squeeze the trigger on the weapon he was holding. She saw the tiny flash of light and puff of smoke as the weapon discharged. She saw the Doctor’s body jerk backwards as he began to collapse to the ground in front of her. And she saw the blood begin to pool around his body.

 

                Time accelerated past its normal pace as Rose flew to the Doctor’s side. She barely registered the sounds as the Torchwood team that had been behind the two of them fired their own weapons in their defense or the chaos that ensued as the attackers were subdued. All of her senses seemed frozen as she gazed down at the Doctor’s face. His skin was already paler than usual, his brown eyes nearly black as his eyes locked on hers. “Rose,” he gasped out.

 

                “Don’t, Doctor. We’re getting out of here right now. Save your strength please,” she whispered. _Oh God. There is so much blood, too much_ , she thought. “Jake, we need evac NOW!” she shouted.

 

                “On it,” came Jake’s terse reply.

 

                _This isn’t supposed to happen. You said we would grow old together. Spend our lives together._ “Stay with me, Doctor, don’t give up,” she murmured in his ear. “You promised.”

 

                Rose looked in the Doctor’s eyes again when she felt him squeeze her hand. His fathomless, ancient eyes bored into her. “Rose Tyler,” he whispered, in that way that only he could. “I love you. Please. For me. Have a fantastic life.” His head dropped back to the ground and his eyes closed. Rose leaned in and pressed her lips to his and came away bloody.

 

                “I love you, my Doctor.” No response. She leaned into him further and that’s when she realized. He wasn’t breathing. “No.” She started shaking him. “NO, Doctor, stay with me! I love you! You promised! NO!!” And then everything went dark.

 

Pete

December 2014

 

                Pete Tyler sighed and rubbed his eyes briefly as he attempted to sway his wife to support his decision. “Jacks, it’s been six months. I know we’re all still grieving, believe me I am too. We’ll probably grieve him forever. But we can’t just let her stand still. It’s not healthy. And it isn’t like the last time either. Then she had the Cannon project and some kind of hope. But now…” he trailed off as his eyes implored Jackie to understand what he was trying to say.

 

                “Now she’s given up,” Jackie whispered tearfully. “I know, Pete. I know. But you know how close they were. And not just in the normal ‘We’re a married couple, of course we’re close’ kind of way, either. Even back when he was still all big ears and leather, there was just something… different about the two of them. The way they were around each other. Rose told me once he was telepathic and I think that might have been part of it. I’m not sure that even grieving a spouse normally is really a comparison… My poor Rose. I do want her to move forward Pete, I do, it’s just… I don’t want to push her away and I don’t want her risking her life again because she doesn’t think she can go on.”

 

                Pete inwardly breathed a sigh of relief at his wife’s concerns. These were things he could address. “That’s why I think this will be perfect. I know you don’t like the idea of her being so far away, but I think London has too many memories for her. Too many memories of him and of Him. The New York office has been begging for a west coast American field office in California for some time now and I’ve just gotten around to finding a location. A year ago when I first started the ball rolling on this project I envisioned trusting it to Rose and the Doctor together. I figured the adventure of a new place, hell new continent would keep them from the boredom of being stuck on this one planet. Now, I’m glad I decided not to choose a metropolitan location for the office there. LA might have been too much, but I picked a quiet town up the north coast instead. If I put Rose in charge there, maybe she’ll come back to us.”

 

                “From across the bleedin’ ocean and the other side of the continent?! How’s that supposed to work then?!” Jackie screeched at him.

 

                “Look Jacks. She need a project. Something to focus on besides her pain. That’s what I’m hoping to give her here. And I really think she needs to be in the position of taking charge of herself again. I’m just as guilty, but I think we’ve been coddling her for too long. She has to find who she is without him. She’s never really had to do that. Even during the Cannon years, she grew up, matured, but she was always focused on Him. Finding Him. Getting back to Him. If we let her go, we’ll get the Rose we love back.” And Pete did love Rose. In the years since she had come into his life he had come to truly view her as his daughter. He had loved the Doctor as well, coming to see the strange half-alien as a son in the years since their second trip to that blasted beach in Norway. “Jake told me. The Doctor’s last words. He wanted her to have a fantastic life. She’ll remember. She just needs to figure out what that is for her now.”

 

                “Is it safe, Pete?”

 

                “It’s as safe as anything else we could convince her to do. Rose doesn’t do safe. You know that. But you also know she’s the very best Torchwood has when she’s on her game. I’m planning to put her in charge, so hopefully that will minimize the field work and thus the danger. If you have another idea, I’m open to it, but this was the best thing I could think of. The offices and everything won’t be ready until early March, so we still have some time. Will you help me convince _her_?”

 

                “Alright, Pete. On one condition. Tony and I get to visit her as often as she’ll have us. And where is this ‘quiet town up the north coast’ anyway? California you said? What’s it called? We need to find her a place don’t we?”

 

                “You can help her with that if you want,” Pete smiled with relief. “And of course you and Tony can visit her. I’m sure he’ll love seeing the states. Yes California. The town is called Gracepoint.”


	2. Chapter 2

** Chapter 1 **

 

Emmett

March 2015

 

                Emmett Carver was starting to wonder why he had allowed himself to be convinced to stay here in Gracepoint. _Well, not starting to wonder. I’ve been wondering all along,_ he thought to himself. In spite of the thoughts, he knew why he had stayed. There just hadn’t really been anywhere else for him to go. And he had found himself in a grudging friendship with Miller since the fallout over the Solano murder. She had convinced him to finally get that pacemaker after all. He hadn’t felt right about leaving her to the less than tender mercies of the Gracepoint townsfolk. He certainly knew how it felt to be the subject of unpleasant gossip. He hadn’t counted on just _how_ boring life as a Detective in such a small town could truly become. He had expected boredom on his first arrival in town, but the _excitement_ , as it were, of having the murder fall in his lap on that first day had distracted him from that initial expectation.

 

                _No failing to notice the boredom anymore._ He didn’t even have the worry about his health to distract him any longer. The surgery had been an unmitigated success and now he felt healthier than he had in a decade. Unfortunately, that made him all the more dissatisfied with life as it was in Gracepoint at the moment. _I ought to be glad the biggest excitement we’ve had in two months is a pub brawl. Stop brooding Carver!_ he thought in frustration with himself.

 

                Deciding that that was enough wallowing for one morning he gave his appearance a quick once over in the mirror. He looked good enough for the station anyway. He wasn’t sure why he bothered with the mirror at all really. I wasn’t as if anyone cared what he looked like. His one attempt at procuring female companionship for an evening had certainly fallen flat. He’d frankly stopped even looking, particularly before the operation. At least the media attention he’d gotten before had all but disappeared after Joe Miller was convicted and he’d told his side of the investigation his ex-wife had botched. And Julie was talking to him again, so there was that.

 

                He stopped and grabbed a proper coffee at the café on the way into the station. At least he could start with a good brew before he broke down later and risked the station sludge. He was just pushing through the station towards his office when Chief Morgan stuck his head out of his own office and flagged him down.

 

                “Carver. Need to see you. Have a special assignment,” the Chief said curtly before disappearing back behind his office door.

 

                Carver was torn between irritation that he’d been singled out for this “special assignment,” whatever that meant, and a bit of intrigue at what it could possibly be. _Not that it matters how I feel about it. Let’s get this over,_ he thought as he entered the office behind the Chief. Closing the door, he turned around and crossed his arms. “Alright, so what is it? Special assignment, really?” he asked with the irritation he felt coloring his voice.

 

                “Yes, really,” the Chief replied, his own annoyance with Carver’s attitude showing. “We have a special circumstance that might change the climate here in Gracepoint. I need to know I can count on you for this Emmett. This is no game and I need someone I can trust to handle this. Clear?”

 

                “Alright then. What is it? What kind of ‘special circumstance?”

 

                “How much do you know about Torchwood, Carver?”

 

                “I suppose as much as anyone does. Highly secretive organization. Ties to nearly every government on the planet. Rumored to be responsible for eliminating the Cyber threat twice. More extensively rumored to be involved in extra-terrestrial shenanigans, though I personally think that bit is a load of –“

 

                “Okay, okay. You know enough anyway. Their HQ is in London. Their Director as well. They have a North American field office in New York, but they recently decided they wanted a west coast office. They wanted a smaller location for this office so they didn’t go with LA. They’re opening a field office here in Gracepoint. I’ve been tasked, by the state of California no less, with assigning an officer as permanent liaison with the head of the new field office. As my highest ranking detective that means you. However, this position will be a bit of a political one. You’ll have to be on amicable terms with their head and maintain pleasant relations if at all possible.”

 

                “So I’m being asked to babysit? Come on, this sounds even more unexciting than life as head detective in Gracepoint. Let Miller do it, she needs a new friend and she’ll be much better at playing nice than I would. We both know I’m not suited to this. Why even bother asking me?”

 

                “I’m not asking, you’re doing it. Miller gets your old job. You both get promotions. Everyone should be happy. Believe me, from what I’ve heard Torchwood will keep you busy. You want exciting, Carver? I can pretty much guarantee that that’s what you’ll get. And keep those loonies from stirring up too much trouble locally! I don’t want this place turning into some kind of new age Roswell. Miller would be too soft to keep them in check. You’re doing it, “the last sentence was said in a tone that brooked no further argument from Carver.

 

                “Fine. What do I need to know?” Carver said tersely.

 

                “There’s a file on your desk in your office. You’re meeting the head tomorrow morning at their new office at nine. I’ve been told they intend to assign you an office there, so pack up what you’ll need and study up on the file today. I’ll be moving Miller into your office tomorrow.”

 

                “Who is he? I should probably at least know my new boss’s name, you think?”

 

                “Her name is Rose Tyler. I’m told she’s the very best field agent they have.”

 

 

Rose

March 2015

 

                Rose looked around her empty office at Torchwood One and breathed a heavy sigh. It was Friday evening and she was flying out to her new job tomorrow. This was her, taking final stock of anything she might need from her office here in her new life in California. She had been very reluctant to take Pete up on the job when he first offered. She had had no interest whatsoever in returning to work since the Doctor… since that day. But she knew what Pete and her mum were trying to tell her. _You have to move forward Rose. He wouldn’t want you to curl up and die. He would want you to find what makes you happy. He would want you to be happy._

_“I love you. Please. For me. Have a fantastic life.”_ His words never stopped ringing in her ears. Sometimes it seemed it was the only thing she could hear. _How? How, Doctor? How am I supposed to have a fantastic life without you? We were supposed to grow old together._ She could feel herself growing maudlin, and did her best to shake off the melancholy. They were all right. It wasn’t what he would want her to do, spend the rest of her days consumed with her grief. He really would want her to find a way to be happy again. It was, after all, what the words she couldn’t turn off meant. And really, her parents had put up with her extended mourning for nine months now. She had to at least try to find her way again. She had found herself relenting to Pete after all.

 

She had already taken everything but the office supplies so she was just saying goodbye to the room itself now. It was here, in this room, that her meta-crisis Doctor, the one who would become her husband, had finally let the last walls between them go. He had said the words on the beach, but there had still been so much between them. And between them and Him. The Other one. It had taken two months after being dumped back in this universe to find themselves again. It had been slow, and it had been tentative, and sometimes painful. But it had been here in this room that she had convinced him that she believed he was who he said he was. And it had been here in this room that he had convinced her that he had loved her since “I’m so glad I met you.” Later it had been here in this room that he had given her the ring she was now toying with on her left hand.

 

“Rose,” said a tentative voice from behind her. “I still have a few minute things to take care of at the flat, I think I’m going to head out. Is there anything else I can do before I go?”

 

“No thanks, Donna. You go ahead. Think I’m going to leave too. See you in the morning, yeah?”

 

“Yes, ma’am, bright and early. Get some rest, Rose,” she added more softly.

 

The Doctor had found this universe’s Donna Noble one afternoon in a coffee shop. After spending a few weeks in which Donna couldn’t decide whether or not to be worried about the strange skinny fellow who seemed to be stalking her, he had befriended her. Not long after that he had convinced Rose to hire her as her personal assistant. Donna had been absolutely phenomenal and had become a very dear friend to both Rose and the Doctor in the years since. When the Doctor passed, Donna had been the only one who could really talk to Rose at first. The only one Rose let in even a little when she was still brittle with the shock and grief.

 

Donna was moving to California with Rose to help at the new Torchwood branch they were establishing. Rose wasn’t sure she would have agreed if Donna hadn’t done so. Jake was already there as well, all so Rose wouldn’t be on her own, but her parents would no longer be hovering over her catering to her grief in every moment. She would have an entire organization to establish from the ground up. She was hoping the distraction would be enough. With that thought, Rose turned on her heel, and left her office and Torchwood One for the last time.

 

Rose and Donna stood at the airport while Rose hugged her mum goodbye one last time. “I promise, Mum. As soon as I get to the house there I’ll call you. Yes I know you don’t care what time it is, here or there. I’m going to be fine, Mum. I... I’m really starting to feel like this could be good. Good for me, I mean. Bye, Mum. I love you. Give Tony and Dad my love again when you get home.”

 

Rose and Donna boarded the plane and settled down for a very long series of flights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Accidentally left off the second half of this chapter the first time. :(


	3. Chapter 3

** Chapter 2 **

 

Rose

Monday morning found a still somewhat jet-lagged Rose Tyler at her brand new office building just outside Gracepoint, California, USA. Her parents had gotten her and Donna each lovely, fully furnished vacation cottages next door to each other just a few miles up the road from the office. The office itself was, of course, entirely new construction. Built to Torchwood’s unusual specifications by specially vetted builders. One couldn’t trust just any building or just any builder with the containment of possibly hostile aliens, after all. Or even with the knowledge that the building might be used for such purposes.

 

Rose knew that Donna and Jake were already here. So would be a few of the newly transferred field agents now under her command. As far as she knew, today’s agenda would be mostly housecleaning. Both of the literal and figurative varieties. She headed in the front doors, and used her Torchwood ID card to open the door to the inner offices. Here she was pleasantly surprised to find that most of the workspaces appeared to be in working order already. _Jake must have been busy since the stuff got here_ she thought with a slight smile. The expression felt foreign on her face and she realized it had been quite a while since she had last felt any urge to smile. She realized that it had been the right decision, coming here, making a fresh start. Somewhere every little thing didn’t remind her of what she had lost.

 

She saw Jake coming towards her from the back, where there appeared to be a kitchenette. He had a grin on his face and his arms wide open. When he reached her he swept her up into a giant hug. “Oh, Rose. I’m so glad you’re finally here! Someone who knows how to make proper tea! No one drinks tea here! It’s all coffee this, coffee that.”

 

Rose couldn’t help it. She giggled and felt her face break out into a full on beaming smile. It was so good to see Jake. He had left London two weeks ago to help with the grunt work of unpacking. He was to be her second in command here. It was nice knowing that she had someone to have her back in case of personality clashes with their American colleagues. “Oi, is that all I’m good for, Simmonds? Tea? I’ll have you know that I do not make the tea around here!”

 

“Oh, Rose, it’s really good to see you. Come on back, your office is this way. I’ve got some preliminary files for you to look at this morning. And Donna’s already made the tea,” he said with a wink.

 

“Nothing too serious I hope. I’m still recovering from that trip, ya know. I’m going to need a lot of caffeine if there’s anything major to deal with.”

 

“Nah. Just some personnel files for your perusal mostly. A few small cases the New York office had backlogged as low priority due to their western location. A couple of disappearances, and a man claiming to be psychic. Top of the stack is the file on our liaison from the local police force. He’s to be assigned an office here on a permanent basis. It was one of the stipulations that allowed us to establish a second branch on US soil. I’m afraid he’s non-negotiable. I’m also afraid that there might be a slight complication with him.”

 

“Complication? What kind of complication? Surely the didn’t assign someone in some way inappropriate? Some Torchwood hating nutter or crazy misogynist who won’t work with me? What?”

 

“Just... Look at the file. You’ll see what I mean. I promise. And, Rose? Before you do, know that we didn’t mean for this to happen. And I checked really carefully after I saw that file. It’s not him.”

 

Rose looked at Jake in confusion and went to sit behind her posh new desk in her posh new office. She asked Jake to have Donna bring her some tea when she had a chance and diverted her attention to the small pile of files on her desk. On the top of the stack was a file with the following words neatly typed across the label: Detective Emmett Carver, Gracepoint Police Department-Torchwood Liaison. Rose was more than a little anxious about opening the file. What could the problem possibly be with this detective? Jake had seemed really uncomfortable about the entire thing, but seemed to think it was important she be warned before reading this Carver’s file. _Only one way to find out, Tyler_ , she thought. And with that, she opened the file.

 

Her eyes moved to take in the top page in the file and her heart stopped when she saw the photo paper clipped to the top corner. Her throat felt constricted and her vision began to blur. _It can’t be. It can’t be Him. How could this be? What? No. Jake said it’s not him. It can’t be him. Why does he have to have his face?!_

 

Rose started up from her desk and rushed out of her office looking for Jake and Donna. She found them both waiting not far outside her office door with cringing looks on their faces. She looked at Jake. “How?”

 

“Rose I have no idea why he looks like the Doctor. But I did research on him as soon as that file showed up. He is definitely Emmett Carver. Fully human. Not a Time Lord. Had a bad heart, almost killed him on his last major case. Since then it seems he’s had a pacemaker fitted and has returned to active duty. Has an ex-wife and a teenage daughter. Nothing in the file or my research says he isn’t acceptable for the job. But, you’ll be working with him often. You’d be almost like partners, the way the charter is set up. If you don’t think you can… We should figure something out now, because he’s supposed to be here at nine tomorrow morning.”

 

Rose pondered the idea of working with a man who could be her dead husband’s twin. Could she do it? She honestly didn’t know. But she knew that doing this right was her best chance to move forward with her life. It would be a challenge. Could she be professional with Emmett Carver? Or would she find herself forgetting and falling into old habits? Then there was the undeniable fact that, having found the Doctor(s) attractive, she would undoubtedly find this Carver attractive also. Well, Rose had always liked a challenge. Best get on with preparing herself mentally. She would just keep herself aloof and professional. It would be fine. She could do this. “No, Jake. It was just a shock that’s all. Seeing that face looking up at me from the file. If you say that he’s acceptable otherwise I trust your judgement. I have to find a way to make this work. It’s what he would want me to do. I’ll get back to these. Donna would you bring lunch around 12:30? Thanks.”

 

Jake and Donna looked at each other. “Don’t look at me. I would have turned tail and run if I were her, “Donna said. “You want lunch at 12:30, too?”

 

“This is going to go pear-shaped Donna. And yeah, 12:30 lunch sounds great.” Jake went back to work and wondered what kind of fireworks Detective Emmett Carver was going to bring to their new Torchwood West Coast family.

 

Emmett

 

After his conversation with the Chief, and his promotion/reassignment, Emmett Carver made his way to the desk in his office. _Miller’s office now, I guess._ He picked up the file on his new job, opened it up and began to peruse the contents. The first few pages were essentially personnel files on the two who were to be his immediate superiors. Director Rose Tyler and Deputy Director Jake Simmonds. There were a few things in the file that caught his attention. First, it appeared Director Tyler was the adopted daughter of Pete Tyler, the Vitex millionaire. It also appeared that Pete was himself the Director of Torchwood proper. _Nepotism at its finest_ Carver thought derisively. Although he noted that both Tyler and Simmonds had commendations in their paperwork relating to the Cyber wars. Next he examined the included photos of the two. Simmonds seemed young, with spiky blonde hair and dimples showing in his photo. Rose Tyler. She also seemed young, but there was something in the eyes. Something that seemed to say _I’ve seen things. Things you wouldn’t believe._

 

Maybe it wasn’t just nepotism that had landed Ms. Tyler her position. Between the notes in her file about the Cyber wars and the look in her eyes in that photo, Emmett was starting to believe he could work under this woman. And she wasn’t half bad on the eyes either. _Where did that come from?! I’m done with all that bullshit. Too much work. She’s just another boss. That’s all._

 

Later that afternoon, as it was approaching time for him to leave for the day, and after he felt he had gleaned all the information possible from the Torchwood dossier, Emmett found himself booting up the office computer for an internet search. He hadn’t been able to quite get Rose Tyler’s face out of his head, so he figured he’d see what else a public search would turn up on her. He wasn’t prepared for the news story he encountered halfway down the first page of search results.

 

“Vitex Heiress’ Husband Slain in Mugging” read the headline. He didn’t remember anything in her file about a spouse, and against his better judgement he found himself already intrigued by her. So he clicked the link. There, on the page that opened (some British rag he noted briefly) was a photo. The caption read “John Smith, late husband to Vitex heiress Rose Tyler, at March’s Vitex Charity Gala event”. He didn’t even get to the article before his brain froze in its tracks. _It was him. John Smith... His new boss’ dead husband could’ve been his twin._


	4. Chapter 4

** Chapter 3 **

 

                Emmett

 

                After making the unwelcome and decidedly disturbing discovery about his new boss’ history, Emmett found himself unable to let it go. _Did they know I was here? Does she think I’m him?_ One thing he knew after spending the three hours after his arrival home further investigating. He might have been identical to this John Smith physically, but they were most assuredly not the same. John Smith had apparently been a physics professor of unparalleled brilliance. It was rumored (and God didn’t the Brits know how to run a rumor mill) that he also did side work for Torchwood. Those same rumors had apparently followed Rose, though the family had never addressed those rumors publicly. He knew from his examination of her personnel file that the organization considered her to be an asset of great value. He had a feeling he was going to have his hands full just keeping the peace with this woman. Even if she had no idea of his existence before she got here, she’d certainly become aware enough at their meeting tomorrow. With that thought, Emmett decided he would just have to see what the meeting would bring. After all, they were both professionals.

 

                Rose

               

Rose Tyler had had what one might call a trying day. The work itself hadn’t been bad. She had spent the majority of the day sorting out assignments among the two field teams that had been assigned to the branch. That was really a simple matter, since they just asked the field teams to sort themselves into two teams of four. Then had come the organization and claiming of workstations. They had made a plan to prioritize and distribute the few missing person cases that had been passed to them by the New York office. Rose and Jake had decided to handle the man claiming psychic abilities themselves. Either he would turn out to be a complete nutter and they could send him on his way with a few more inside jokes added to their collection, or he might really be psychic. In which case, Rose wanted to be on hand during the initial interview so she could make a personal assessment about his value to the organization.

 

                All of these things in fact served to distract her from the thing that had made the day so trying in the first place. Emmett Carver. The man who was supposed to be her personal go-between with the local law enforcement. When she had seen his face in that photo, her first irrational thought had been _it’s Him._ Not her husband. The Time Lord he had been born from. The Doctor from her original universe. But that was absurd, of course. Not only had he told her it was impossible the first time. Not only had he stopped looking for a way long before she finally made it back to Him. Now, he had left her here with his meta-crisis. He fully expected them to have a long and happy life together. He would never come looking for her again. So it _couldn’t_ be Him.

 

                That had been when reality had crashed into her and she had sought Jake to ask that one word question. _How?_ Of course, Jake hadn’t had an answer. There probably wasn’t really an answer anyway. Just another cruel joke the universe was playing on one Rose Tyler. Bad Wolf. _Yeah, I’m a Goddess alright. A Goddess of misery and misfortune._ She felt guilty immediately on the heels of the thought. Her husband had finally explained the events on the game station to her, but she’d never been able to remember feeling like an all-powerful being of time. He however had seemed to regard those events with a strange combination of horror and reverence. He’d said he had been born of their sacrifices for each other.

 

                At six o’clock Rose informed the entire team that they were done for the day. “I’m still re-discovering my body clock boys, so I say we end things now. Back again a nine tomorrow, yeah?” This announcement was met with a great deal of enthusiasm, so Torchwood Gracepoint ended their first day of official operation.

 

                Rose snagged Donna while the others were making their way to the exit. “Donna, I could really fancy a girls and wine night. Want to meet me at my cottage for some dinner and a bottle?”

 

                Donna knew Rose had more than wine on her mind and she agreed quickly. “Absolutely. First day working on an entirely new continent definitely calls for wine. I’ll just grab some Chinese on the way home and bring it over as soon as I get changed. You get the wine, sound good to you?”

 

                “Donna, have I told you today that you’re brilliant?”

 

                “Not today, but I know.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

                Rose Tyler was losing her mind. After a massive meal provided by Donna, and a bottle and a half of wine between the two of them, she was no closer to feeling like she had a strategy to deal with tomorrow’s meeting. She was finding herself literally terrified of coming face to face with Detective Emmett Carver. She told Donna as much. “Donna. I’m terrified. Properly terrified. I really, really wanted this to be a fresh start. Everyone was right, I’ve been mourning long enough. I’ll always mourn him but I have to do something else. And I was sure this was the right something else. A new place. No memories. We certainly never came here together, in either universe. But this. How do I look him in the eye Donna? How do I look at a total stranger wearing my husband’s face? What if I burst into tears at the sight of him? Oh God, what am I going to do?”

 

                “Rose. Rose, calm down. It’s going to be fine. It isn’t him. It’ll just take some getting used to. I know it was enough of a shock for me, it must’ve been awful for you seeing that photo. Think of it like this, okay? Think of it like, like a brother, yeah? Like a twin brother. Even one separated at birth. It’s just another bloke, Rose. We’ll get through this, you and me. We’ll get us a fresh start, together. I for one, am looking forward to meeting a few of these American blokes. Preferably ones who don’t work for Torchwood.”

 

                “Oi! What’s wrong with Torchwood? You work for Torchwood, missy?” Rose giggled, coming out of her self-pity. Donna was right. She was Rose Tyler. Defender of the Earth. She could handle a bloke. Not that she was remotely interested in finding a bloke, least of all this bloke.

 

“Nothing wrong with Torchwood. I happen to love working there. I’d just prefer my bloke did something less….”

 

“Alien?”

 

“Dangerous,” Donna whispered.

 

                Emmett

 

                The next morning, Emmett Carver realized he was taking particular care with his appearance. And it annoyed him. Damned if he was going to shave for this woman. He didn’t even know her. Besides, it was highly likely she would find his looks offensive no matter what he did. _Blasted woman._ It was hardly his fault he looked like the man she had lost. And he was certain that there was no way that wasn’t going to complicate what would already have been rather a complicated situation from his perspective. He sighed. It was hardly her fault either. He had decided that unless he was faced with evidence otherwise, she had probably not been aware of his existence when this place was planned, nor when she agreed to take over as the Director here. Why would she seek out a man whose face would only give her grief? Why would they build a facility around his whereabouts? He snorted at his own egotism for even considering the idea. She wouldn’t and they wouldn’t. He just hoped someone somewhere had presented her with a file on him similar to the one he had received about herself and this Jake Simmonds fellow. At least then he wouldn’t be a soul-shattering surprise to her. Or send her off the edge. _Torchwood. Aliens, hah. Young attractive blonde widows. What have you gotten yourself into Carver?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I didn't specify before: I own nothing. I make no profit from this story. All characters belong to their respective intellectual property holders. I'm just playing in the sandbox. This story contains spoilers for Gracepoint and Doctor Who through season 4.

** Chapter 4 **

 

                Rose

 

                Rose Tyler was pacing the floor in her new office. She had arrived half an hour early in an attempt to calm her nerves and project a professional air. This morning she was going to be Director Rose Tyler of Torchwood Gracepoint. She wanted to shroud herself in the armor of her title. She had a feeling that was the only way she was going to get through this meeting without her emotions getting the better of her.

 

                She needed this to work. She needed to show her parents that she could still be the capable woman she had been before. Before her world fell apart the second time. And in order to do that, she was going to have to learn to work with Emmett Carver. She was in the process of telling herself for the twentieth time that morning that she was more than capable of keeping this professional when Donna stuck her head in the door. “Rose? Detective Carver is here for your meeting.” Donna’s eyes swept Rose over and apparently decided she wasn’t on the verge of a breakdown. She added, “He says he is looking forward to meeting you and he offers his condolences on your loss.”

 

                Rose started a bit at that. _He knows then. Well, at least it will be mildly less awkward._ “Thank you Donna,” she said, getting up and coming to join Donna at the door. “I’ll just show him around and take care of the introductions, then he and I can have our chat.”

 

                Emmett

 

                Carver pushed open the door into the brand new office building positioned on the highway just outside Gracepoint city limits. It was only a few miles from the three bedroom home he had purchased last year, after he had survived the surgery and his daughter started talking to him again. Immediately inside the entrance was a small anteroom. In front of him was a window with a buzzer. To the right was a door with what appeared to be a key card lock system installed. _Buzzer it is_ he thought. _They could have at least sent along a temporary I could use to get in with._ His natural grumpiness was beginning to take over as he pushed the buzzer and waited for a response from within. Fortunately, his irritation did not have time to grow as a red haired woman appeared on the other side of the window almost immediately.

 

                “Oh, our detective is here,” she said in a bright English accent. _Are they all English here?_ She seemed to reach down beneath the counter and do something, and he heard what sounded like magnets disengaging. “Come on back, detective. We’ll get you sorted with an ID card so you don’t have to use the buzzer. The front door stays open. Odd hours round this place sometimes, you know. Of course you do, same thing with the coppers, innit?” She chattered at him as he opened the now unlocked door and came around to greet her face to face. “My name’s Donna Noble, I’m Rose’s personal assistant. Rose, that’s Director Tyler that is. We don’t stand on formality much here though. Think it’s cause the agents get close on account of going through all that dangerous field work together and all. So just call me Donna. Resident tea fetcher around here. Though I suppose you’ll be wanted coffee like the others. Wait here, I’ll just let Rose know you’re here.”

 

“Wait. Donna, was it? Please tell the Director. Tell her I’m happy to be a here. And I’m sorry for her loss.” Donna looked pleased with him for some reason. He wondered how anyone ever got a word in with that woman around. And she was the personal assistant? What was this Director Tyler really like? He watched Donna approach an office and stick her head inside to converse with the occupant. A moment later Donna’s head rejoined the rest of her body outside the office and she was followed by a stunningly attractive blonde in smart business attire. _Of course. Of course she’s even better looking in person. It doesn’t matter. She’s essentially your boss. And she’s a grieving widow. Her husband died less than a year ago. And I could be his twin._ At that thought, his stomach dropped a bit in what he could only identify as disappointment. He didn’t have time to ponder his reaction or his earlier attempt to pass the message that he understood there would be awkwardness. He didn’t have time for either of those things, because Director Tyler was approaching him briskly with a slightly brittle looking smile fixed on her face in greeting, her hand held out to shake his.

 

“Detective Carver? I’m Rose Tyler, Director Tyler here. I’ll introduce you to the team, well the ones who are here yet anyway, then I’ll let you settle in your office. When you’ve finished in there, come see me in my office and we’ll discuss some particulars of our association as well as a few case matters Jake and I thought could use your input. Sound okay?” she rattled off. It was almost as if she had planned a specific list of things to communicate to him, and she was doing her best to get through them as quickly as possible. Of course, that might very well be exactly what she was doing. Again he had to remind himself that his very face was probably a source of pain to her. Strike that thought. With the look in her eyes, his face was definitely causing Director Tyler to experience some level of pain. But she was trying desperately to hide it from him. He wasn’t quite sure if that was for her sake or his and he felt a small measure of warmth for this woman who was trying so hard not to let life get the better of her.

 

“That sounds wonderful Director Tyler. Please lead the way.” Rose led him to a small kitchenette off of the back of the room that he hadn’t noticed yet. Seated at the one small table inside drinking coffee were two large brunette men and one petite red haired woman.

                                                                                                                                        

“These are James Gardner, Sam David, and Mary Jones. They make up three quarters of the day team. Brandon not here yet, guys?” The three at the table shook their heads. Mary even looked to be hiding a smirk. “This is Detective Carver. He’s our liaison with local law enforcement. He’s getting the last private office, so sorry, the office pool is over.” This remark was met with a small amount of groaning from the three at the table until Rose added, “So what’s with the smirk over Brandon, Mary?”

 

Mary grinned. “Oh, Rose, he had a hot date last night! This girl at the coffee shop he’s been making eyes at for ages. He finally asked her out and last night was the night! I just knew he would be late and look! Late Brandon! He is gonna be in such a good mood. Shame we’ll have to spoil it by getting to work for real today.”

 

“Alright, suppose I’ll go easy on him then, “Rose smiled at Mary then, a brilliant thing with sparkling eyes and a hint of her tongue between her teeth, and Emmett felt his breath catch. _Oh, lord, this is just impossible,_ he thought. Then Rose’s face changed as she turned back to him. The light seemed to disappear completely from her eyes and her smile was once more brittle. “Right, on to your office, then, yeah?” and headed back to a door in the corner of the main room. “This is you then. You saw where Donna got me from, yeah? Just come and get me once you’ve settled and we’ll have our meeting. See you then Detective.” Then she turned and nearly fled back to her office, closing the door quietly but firmly behind her. _What just happened?_ He shook his head slightly and entered his new office to see where he would now be working.

 

Rose

 

After she closed the door to her office, Rose leaned back against it and took a shuddering breath. _Could’ve been worse,_ she thought. _At least I didn’t lose it completely on him._ Leading Detective Carver around the office had brought out very conflicting emotions. Seeing his face had of course brought out the crushing pain she was trying to ignore, causing those damned words to start circling her brain again. But that hadn’t been all of her reaction. Oh, no. He had looked at her with kindness and offered his condolences through Donna. He had been polite (and wasn’t that a bit of change from that face) and pleasant. Those had been a surprise. Jake had mentioned that in his research on the man, it was noted that he was often grouchy and unpleasant. He had shown neither of those attributes this morning. And without those things to buffer… Well, let’s just say her body was remembering that it had been quite some time for her. _Nine months isn’t that long of a dry spell, Rose. Get it together. He’s NOT the Doctor. He’s Emmett Carver and he’s off-limits. What would the Doctor think?_

 

Rose knew, intellectually, that he wouldn’t want her to refuse to go on with life. He would want her to find love again. But she was pretty sure she wasn’t emotionally prepared for any relationship just yet, much less one with her late husband’s doppelganger. _And that is getting way ahead of things. We just met. And he knows he looks like the Doctor. Deal with business, Tyler. Worry about hormones and celibacy later!_ And with that final thought she shook herself and moved to her desk to pull out the file on Raymond Connelly.

 

Rose looked up from her contemplation of the issue she was intending to discuss with Carver when there was a knock at her office door. Steeling herself with a deep breath, she called, “Come in.” Carver entered.

 

“I believe I’ve settled as well I can for the moment. You said there were some things we needed to discuss?”

 

“Yes, please, have a seat,” she said. She watched as he took the seat across the desk from her, then continued. “I understand that your superiors at the police department gave you a file containing some information about Torchwood, myself and Jake. If you have questions about the nature of our purpose, now is a good time to get any concerns about working with us on the table. From my perspective, this branch of Torchwood made certain agreements with the US government in order to establish a second base of operations on American soil. The largest of these was that I would personally partner with a representative of local law enforcement on all cases where their jurisdictions might be affected. It was decided to assign one specific liaison in order that that person could be granted the highest level of Torchwood clearance, be familiar with our protocols, and generally be more helpful than a merry-go-round of different contacts could be. That would be where you come in, Detective.”

 

“Yes, I believe I understand how the position is intended to function. I’ve no real questions about that aspect of things. However, I do have some questions about some of the things I read in the file on Torchwood. It’s nearly common knowledge that your lot was responsible for ending the Cyber attacks, but aliens? Really? I’m not sure I can swallow that bit.” His voice held a hefty dose of skepticism.

 

Rose tried to bite back the sigh that arose at this part. This actually was something that came up with almost every new recruit. At least the ones who hadn’t been recruited as a result of some extra-terrestrial encounter. Part of her appreciated the irony of the Doctor’s twin questioning the existence of aliens. The rest of her was just ready for this day to be over. It wasn’t even lunch time yet. “I do understand your concern, Detective. This is a common thread with new members of the organization, as I’m sure you can imagine. I assure you, yes, there are aliens. Most of the ones we encounter are non-hostile. Curious travelers, and some unfortunate enough to be stranded. We help those we can, and as for the ones who are hostile… We are the earth’s first and only line of defense. I understand if you can’t take my word for it. If you stay, I won’t have to convince you. The work will. If this is an insurmountable obstacle to your ability to work here, we will request another liaison and you can go back to whatever you were doing before you were offered this position.” Most of Rose was hoping he would do just that. This would be far less confusing to her if she didn’t have to see Detective Carver’s face every single day at work. Bad enough she couldn’t un-know the fact of the man’s existence. A tiny sliver of her, however, was hoping Emmett Carver could handle what Torchwood really did. That tiny part was exhilarated at the idea of seeing that face every day.

 

“No, Director Tyler. I don’t believe you have to convince me today, in order to feel comfortable working here. But, I do have one concern I would like to bring up, before we get to the case work for the day. I,” here he hesitated. He seemed unsure of just how to approach what he wanted to say. “Are you certain that _I_ am the one _you_ want for the job? I did look you up after I looked through the information on you I was provided.” He looked slightly guilty at the admission. “I… I found a photo. In an article about your late husband’s death. I’m sure you never expected to encounter someone like… well, me, much less working with me day to day. And I can’t imagine it isn’t somewhat… difficult for you. I am interested in this job. It sounds like it could be much more exciting than being lead detective in Gracepoint. But I will walk away now if it’s too much.”

 

Rose felt the tiny part of her that was hoping he would stay begin to swell just a bit. “I won’t lie to you Detective Carver. Yes it is painful to see a perfect stranger wearing his face. But he’s gone.” Rose was astonished in the strength of her voice at this point. “He’s been gone for nine months now. And I need a reliable liaison. I think I can work past this and it would be my pleasure to welcome you properly, Detective.” She flushed a little as she looked into his eyes. “I apologize for my behavior earlier. I’ll do my best to improve going forward. And, please, everyone calls me Rose. You don’t have to keep calling me Director Tyler. That’s my father.” At the end of her apology she offered him the first genuine smile she had directed his way all day, tentative though it was. “Now shall we see what today has for us? When we’re done here I’ll make sure Jake gets you your ID card so you won’t have to use the buzzer again.”

 

“Thank you. It’s no bother. Your reaction is quite understandable. I’m happy to join the team.”

 

Rose reopened the file she had been considering earlier. “I have a file here on a Raymond Connelly. Claims psychic abilities. Jake said this one was sent our way by Gracepoint PD and suggested you might have some insight. You aren’t mentioned in the case file, but before we get him in for an interview I wanted to see if you had anything to add.”

 

Rose looked back up at Carver to see his face had gone hard. “Connelly. Yeah I know him. Complete slime. He’s not psychic, he’s a bottom feeder. He preys on people with loss. He lets them think he can speak to their lost loved ones. He interfered in the Solano case. He is a waste of a human being. Not worth your time or mine.” His voice was quite harsh as he made these pronouncements.

 

“Are you certain, Detective? The file suggests he has made useful contributions to police cases. If he is genuinely psychic, and yes those exist, too, then he could possibly be a valuable asset in the work that we do. It also puts him more at risk in the case of a confrontation with a hostile from a telepathic race. Unless he knows how to put up mental shields, that is. We have people who can show him how to do that, if he doesn’t know already. I’m planning to schedule an interview with him as soon as possible. Tomorrow if I can arrange it. I’d like for you to be there, but I’ll have Jake conduct the actual interview. He’s the best we have at getting people to talk. You and I will be there for observation only and we can compare notes afterwards.”

 

Carver grimaced at this information. “He makes lucky guesses. That’s all. I’m telling you now that this is waste of time and resources. I understood there were some disappearances passed along from your New York office? I think we’d be better off putting our time towards that, don’t you?” Now he sounded almost angry. _Ah, grouchy and unpleasant_ she recalled.

 

“Yes there are some disappearances. And there will likely be more cases passed from New York as they get used to the idea of us being here. I’ve already made the assignments between the two field teams. They are on it. If they need us we will certainly hear about it. You, and Jake and I are going to see what we can learn from Mr. Connelly. I understand you are a natural skeptic. But this is where we begin here. Are you sure you can do this, Detective?”

 

“Yes, Tyler,” he bit out. “Are we done for now?”

 

“Yes, we’re done. I’ve got a few other things to handle, then I’ll work on setting up the interview this afternoon. I’ll pass you off to Jake. He should be here by now.” _He’d better be. I think I’ve had all the Emmett Carver I can take for right now._ She got up and exited the office, searching for Jake. She met Donna’s eyes and she nodded her head towards Jake’s office. “He in, now?” Donna nodded and went back to filing. Her eyes furtively flicked back and forth between Rose and Carver as the pair crossed to Jake’s office door. Rose opened Jake’s door and stuck her head inside. “Hey Jake,” she offered him a weak smile.

 

“Hey Rose, what’s up?” Jake grinned at her from behind his desk.

 

“I’ve got Detective Carver here. Think you could set him up with an ID and maybe keep him out of my hair for the rest of the day?”

 

He winked. “Sure thing. Bring him on in.”

 

At that Rose turned back to Carver and opened the door all the way. “Detective Carver, this is my Deputy Director Jake Simmonds. He’s second in command, and he’ll help you get ready to work. Jake, this is Detective Carver. I’ll let you both know once I’ve got Connelly set up for that interview.” Then, Rose once again escaped behind the closed door of her office.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will probably be the last chapter I get up before finals. I'm planning to give this a bit more focus after that, though.

** Chapter 5 **

               

 

                Emmett

 

                As he drove home from his first day at Torchwood, Carver let his thoughts turn over the strange events of the day. He snorted at himself. _Not like you didn’t know already strange would be the order of the day._ He wasn’t certain if the strange he had gotten had been the strange he had expected. On their first meeting Director Tyler had seemed a bit fragile. She was clearly braced for meeting him, but it was equally clear that foreknowledge hadn’t quite been enough to prepare her. Still, she had been polite, if strained. Then meeting the three in the kitchenette. He had seen a flash of what the others must see when they work under her command. She had been warm and friendly with the team, seeming to enjoy Mary’s bit of gossip about their missing team member. Her smile then had been real and… well, dazzling if he was honest. The sight of the tip of her tongue peeking out from her smile had made him realize how much he really wished she wasn’t the widow of a man who could be his twin. _Get over yourself, Carver,_ he though in self-irritation. _That woman is not remotely interested. She could barely be in the same room with you. Every time she looks at you she sees him._ Well, that was it. That last thought acted like a bucket of cold water on his previous line of thought. It was true that she would likely always see her husband when she looked at him. How could she not? _If I didn’t know better **I** ’d think I was him._ And that certainly precluded entertaining the idea of anything other than a completely professional relationship with Director Rose Tyler. No matter how attractive she was. He wouldn’t be a placeholder for anyone.

 

                Then there was the matter of that prick Connelly. He just knew that was going to be an utter waste of time. If the man had anything at all to say, he’d be even less likely to talk with Carver himself in the room. Still more unlikely it would be anything useful. He just hoped Tyler didn’t blame him when the man turned out to be the waste of space Carver had declared him to be.

 

                Carver pulled into the driveway of his house to see a car already there, and Ellie Miller leaning against the driver’s door looking up from where she had been checking something on her phone. _Great._ He and Miller had built a grudging respect over the Solano investigation, and they had grown closer after Joe Miller had been arrested for the boy’s murder. Though Carver had realized after Joe’s arrest that Ellie’s son Tom had been involved, he had agreed for both Ellie’s and Tom’s sake to let the case rest as it was. Joe Miller certainly still deserved to be locked up for his part of what had happened to Danny. But Tom’s part had been an accident, and he saw no reason to further ruin the family’s life. Since then, he and Ellie had built from grudging respect to grudging friendship, but he still wasn’t in the mood to have her interrogating him about his new job right this minute. He’d planned to pour himself a pint and attempt to distract himself with the book about the French Revolution he had picked up the previous weekend. He wasn’t sure how successful such a tactic would have been, since his new boss was seeming much more fascinating than Marie Antoinette at the moment, but he had intended to try. It looked, however as if that plan was out the window now.

 

                “What do you want, Miller?” he grumped as he was exiting his car.

 

                “Well, nice to see you, too, Emmett. Thought we might compare notes on first days at our respective new jobs.” She held up a bottle of wine. “Owen is keeping the boys for me so I could celebrate my promotion. Plus, I’m dying to hear how your day went,” she continued with a smug smile.

 

                “Not exactly a new job for you, is it? We both know you’ve been holding my sorry ass up for a while now. And I’m not sure what I can really say about the new job anyway.” He led her into the house as he continued to complain.

 

                “Oh, come on. You know I don’t want classified details or case info. I want to know what Torchwood is like.”

 

                “So the Chief told you that much. Still not quite sure what you mean. It seems to be run by Brits. Is that what you wanted to know? Otherwise, I guess, it’s what the rumors say. Highly classified, highly unusual, and not quite believable.” He pulled two wine glasses out of the cabinet and started to dig through a drawer for a wine key. “Don’t really have anything for dinner, should I order a pizza?”

 

                “Pizza would be fabulous. Brits, huh? I thought they were tied to governments all over the world. Is it just the boss-man who’s British, or is it the whole crew?”

 

                “Boss- _lady_ is English. So is her Deputy Director and her personal assistant. Now that is one firecracker of a woman. If I learned one thing today, I learned that Donna Noble can talk. The members of the field team I met today were all American, though. Seems just administration is British.” Emmett set one of the glasses of wine in front of Ellie where she was seated at the dining room table looking thoughtful. “I’ll call for a pizza. Be right back.” Then he slipped back to the living room to place the order. “Pepperoni okay?”

 

                “As long as it’s pizza, whatever is fine.”

 

                When Emmett returned to the kitchen after placing their order, he found Ellie looking at him contemplatively. “So, a firecracker, eh? Would you say, then, that your first day held surprising interests for you?”

 

                “Oh it was interesting all right.” He recognized the look on her face then and his own expression shifted to aghast. “Christ, Miller, not like that. Believe me, I have no interest of that sort in Miss Noble. She’d probably eat me alive. No, most of the _interesting_ today came from an entirely different source.”

 

                “Well, you seemed extra grumpy about something. Thought maybe you were a closet anglophile with an unrequited crush,” she teased with a smirk. “So what was so _interesting_?”

 

                “I’m not entirely sure interesting is even the right word. More awkward and uncomfortable. I’m fairly used to awkward and uncomfortable, but this… this is something else altogether. She…” he trailed off, uncertain just how to explain the situation he had found himself in.

 

                “She? Which she? The boss or the assistant?”

 

                “Director Tyler. That’s her name. Director Rose Tyler. Apparently she’s the daughter of the head of the entire organization. At first I thought nepotism, but I’m not so sure now. Anyway, that’s not the problem.”

 

                “So if you’re not interested in this Donna, is it this Director Tyler? _Is_ it some kind of unrequited crush? Oh my, maybe Emmett Carver is human after all.”

 

                “No! I mean she’s lovely, don’t get me wrong. Stunning, actually. But… She’s a widow. It happened nine months ago. Even under normal circumstances I would probably not approach a woman whose husband passed less than a year ago. If only that were all…”

 

                “You do! You do like her! Well who would have thought? Turns out you are a closet anglophile,” Ellie crowed at him.

 

                “No, you still don’t understand Ellie. Her husband. He… Ellie, I could be the man’s twin. When the Chief first gave me this assignment yesterday, he gave me a file. It had information on Torchwood itself, some of which I still don’t believe by the way, as well as on Deputy Director Simmonds and Director Tyler. Yes, I found her intriguing almost immediately. Yes, she’s a very attractive woman. So I let my curiosity get the better of me and I looked her up online. I found an article about her husband’s death, accompanied by a photo of him from a few months before he was killed. It could have been a picture of me Ellie. I don’t know how she made it through as much interaction as we had today. And it was minimal, really. With everyone else who works there, she’s warm and genuine. Seems like a good sort to work for. And the three of them? Jake and Donna and Rose? They behave like family. She apologized for her behavior even at one point, but… I’m pretty sure she snuck out before everyone else so she wouldn’t have to face me again. How can I blame her? How can I even ask her to work with me? Apparently we’re supposed to work as partners, or maybe a three way team with Jake, but frankly I’m at a loss as to how that is going to work. So, no, I will not be pursuing Director Tyler. Regardless of any attraction I might feel, all I could ever be for her is a replacement for what she’s lost.” This as possibly the longest speech Miller had ever heard him make when he wasn’t making a press release statement.

 

                “Wow. You… really? I mean you look that much like him?” Emmett nodded emphatically. “That’s just awful. That poor woman. You seem really worked up about this. That’s quite a speech for someone who is completely detached from the situation. It sounds like it’s more her problem than yours, though,” Ellie looked at him with genuine curiosity.

 

                “I am detached. I am. I’m just concerned this might impair our ability to actually do the work we are expected to do. She was quite civil and polite, but… it was clearly difficult for her. She didn’t want to spend any more time than necessary in my presence.”

 

                “Well, that had to be quite a shock for her.”

 

                “She seemed to be prepared, but how much can you really prepare for something like that? Not much I’d imagine. And I’d really prefer this job didn’t go straight to hell right away.”

 

                “Well it was the first day, once she has time to adjust, I’m sure it will get better. Just be your usual charming self… Oh wait, never mind,” she started laughing at him. “That probably won’t work either.”

 

                “Very funny, Miller. Now how was your first day?”

 

 

 

                Jake

 

                Jake watched as Detective Carver exited the building for the day. He had spent most of the afternoon just trying to get a feel for the man. He was still completely unconvinced Torchwood did anything extra-terrestrial, so Jake intended to call for evidence from the New York office. Aside from that fact the man seemed competent, and Jake wasn’t having him freeze up at a critical moment because he couldn’t accept what’s right in front of him. In every other way, Jake was pretty sure Carver would make a fine addition to the Torchwood team. That is, of course, assuming Rose could get a grip.

 

She had spent the day wavering back and forth between intent aloofness and taut tension. Carver himself was not unaware of the situation thankfully. He had apparently been curious enough about his new appointment that he had looked Rose up before coming in today. So he had been expecting her discomfort. He had spoken to Jake about it briefly, expressing his concern that his presence would be a hindrance. Jake had reassured him of Rose’s professionalism, as well as her stellar ( _ha!_ ) case history. He wasn’t quite as confident about the matter as he had led Carver to believe, though. Rose had stayed holed up in her office for the remainder of the afternoon after she had passed Carver off to him for his identification. And Donna had discretely mentioned earlier that she had left early for the day.

 

Donna came up beside him and watched through the windows as Carver’s car pulled out of the parking lot. “I think she’s okay, you know.”

 

“Donna… She was a bit of a wreck today. I mean, I know she was holding it in pretty well in front of him. Even had him in her office with her earlier, but… She was definitely affected by him. If it doesn’t get better, and I mean soon, I might have to call Pete. He wanted her to get away from the memories, not have them slap her in the face.”

 

“Don’t go doing that just yet, Jake. I know something you don’t.”

 

“And what is that, then Donna? Not that I’m questioning you, I’m sure you know lots of things I don’t. What is this particular thing I don’t know?”

 

“Rose is… She needs a partner, yeah? She’s got a bit of a nurturer in her. Think about it. Growing up, it was just her and Jackie. They took care of each other because neither of them really had anyone else. Then there was that Mickey bloke. And the Doctor. Both of them. From what I understand, they both needed a lot of her getting them out of trouble. Now… Jackie has Pete and Tony. Mickey never came back. The Doctor… well, they’re both gone aren’t they? She’s looking for some _one_ , not some _thing_. She just doesn’t know it yet. And there might be one other thing,” she smiled then.

 

“And what’s that?”

 

“I was watching the Detective when she was introducing him to the day team in the kitchenette this morning before you got here. Mary had some gossip about a hot date Brandon went on last night and how she knew he would be late today. Rose got caught up in Mary’s exuberance and started really smiling for a moment there. You should have seen Carver’s face when hers lit up like that. Like a man starved for oxygen getting a breath of fresh air he was,” and now Donna’s smile was positively smug.

 

 

 

                Rose

 

                After sneaking out of the office early in an effort to avoid speaking to Emmett Carver again, Rose had decided to go for a run. Running always helped clear her head. It was one of the few habits she had held onto after losing her husband. Running always reminded her of him, but it was becoming a bearable ache. That very though had made her dizzy. How such a thing could ever be bearable would once have been unfathomable to her.

 

                Back at the cottage she showered and ate Chinese takeout leftover from her evening with Donna. Then she decided to crawl into bed and try not to think at all. Not that that ever worked. Only, this time, instead of her brain circling around those words again, she found herself circling Detective Emmett Carver in her head.

****


	7. Chapter 7

** Chapter 6 **

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                Wednesday morning Rose sat in her office trying to compose her thoughts for the impending interview with Raymond Connelly, potential psychic. And apparent nemesis of Emmett Carver. In the emotional upheaval yesterday, she had almost managed to forget his vigorous objection to having anything to do with the man. It was curious that Carver should seem quite so emotional about it if he truly believed there was nothing at all to the man’s claims. Then again, she had gotten the impression that the detective wasn’t one to beat around the bush. He had questioned the existence of aliens to her face and Jake’s in spite of their assurances. He had intentionally addressed the issue of his… resemblance to the Doctor. And he had certainly made his feelings about Connelly known. It was probably the deep-seated skepticism the detective seemed to harbor. He had mentioned the man’s interference in the murder case he had worked in Gracepoint. Though, the file suggested he had provided the department with leads, which he claimed to receive from a paranormal source, and that the information had born fruit. Rose knew better than most that miraculous and supernatural didn’t always equate with benevolent. She shivered as she recalled the spirits of the Gelth in a basement in Cardiff so long ago now. She was determined to make some kind of judgement about this Connelly’s claims, with or without Carver’s assistance.

 

                Last night she had tossed and turned for hours as she wrestled with her feelings towards Carver until she had finally dropped off into a fitful sleep. The rest of the night had been filled with nightmares. That was normal really. She’d been plagued by them the first time she lost the Doctor and they had returned with a vengeance after her husband was killed in a negotiation gone wrong. Where there had once been a gaping void and a white wall there was now the image of deep brown eyes and bloody lips and _“I love you. Please. For me. Have a fantastic life.”_ Over and over again those four sentences whispered in his voice. Except. Except for last night. Last night she had watched the life fade from the Doctor again, just like always. But things didn’t go black and begin again this time. This time, after he spent his dying breath, another voice called her name from behind her. Another voice, similar, and yet so different. Pronunciation more like Jack’s had been. She had been unable to stop herself as the dream propelled her. She stood and turned from the Doctor’s lifeless body. And there, looking at her with great tenderness, was Detective Emmett Carver.

 

                She’d awoken with a start an hour before her alarm was due to go off and had been unable to face the idea of returning to the dream. So, she had paced her small bedroom until enough time had passed that she felt justified getting ready and going into the office. _This is ridiculous Rose. He’s just a bloke. A human bloke. This is overreacting to the highest degree._ If she couldn’t get her hormones and, yes, her loneliness under control she might as well go home to London. _Would it be so bad?_ a voice whispered in her head. _Letting someone in. You need someone. You know it. We’re both rubbish alone._ The voice had started sounding suspiciously like the Doctor’s, but she knew it was herself. And she wasn’t ready to follow those thoughts to their conclusion, so she moved on to the day’s agenda.

 

                Connelly had agreed to come speak with them at 10:30 that morning so she had asked Donna to set up the small conference room on the second floor. Donna had arrived at a quarter to nine and she was expecting both Carver and Jake to be in by nine thirty so they could prepare themselves for the interview. She wanted to make sure Jake did the majority of the speaking and questioning, as that was something he truly did excel at. It was only when she was giving Donna her instructions that she realized she had failed to show Carver anything other than the common work area yesterday. They hadn’t mentioned the small, nondescript elevator near the entrance to the inner sanctum at all. There were two floors of rooms of various uses above the ground floor as well as four secure levels below ground. They might be a small branch, but they were still Torchwood.

 

                She looked out of the open office door when her eye caught motion in the main room. “Hey, Rose,” Jake called in greeting. “We’re still on for that interview this morning, right?”

 

                “Well, Mr. Connelly hasn’t called to cancel so far, so I’d say yes. Remember, I want you to take point. Carver and I are just observers unless something unusual comes up.”

 

                “So, typical make friends and give him the chance to demonstrate then?”

 

                “Pretty much. I don’t know if he said anything to you yesterday, but Carver is really opposed to the idea of this interview. He seems convinced Connelly is a quack and a charlatan. We might need to watch for combative behavior on both of their parts. Though when I spoke to him on the phone, Connelly seemed like a mild bloke, so maybe it’ll be fine.”

 

                “Yeah, he did seem put out that we’re giving the man any benefit of the doubt. I’ll try to catch him myself when he gets here so he’ll understand he’s just an observer.”

 

                “Thanks, Jake.”

 

                “How are you holding up, Rose?” Jake said with some concern. “You seemed a bit like a bouncing ball emotionally yesterday. Are you sure you want to do this? We can still ask for a replacement. Carver doesn’t have to be the liaison, you know. I’m sure we could easily get them to assign someone else. He even mentioned yesterday that he thought his replacement at the PD would have been a good choice for the job.”

 

                Rose looked at Jake in the eyes. “I have to do this, Jake. I won’t push the man out of a job over something so superficial. And…” she looked away for a moment. “Don’t say anything to Donna, yeah? I don’t think I could handle her perspective on this right now. I’m already pretty sure what she’d have to say anyway.”

 

                “Rose. What is it?” Jake asked, concern coloring his features. There weren’t many things Rose didn’t feel comfortable sharing with Donna.

 

                “It’s… I had a nightmare last night, you know? Same one as usual at first. But not the end. At the end, instead of just reliving the whole thing over again, someone called my name from behind me. I turned around and he was there, Jake. Carver. Dressed just like he was yesterday. And the way he was looking at me…” Rose closed her eyes for a moment. “For an instant before I woke up I could breathe again. For just a moment, I could feel. Not this hollow, numb existence I’ve been shuffling through since he died. I could feel all the good and all the bad and everything in between again. And it was all there in his eyes. I woke up angry and terrified. Angry because I am so tired of reliving his last moments. And terrified, terrified, Jake, because I _want_ to feel again. I’m tired of being numb and I want to _feel_ again, when I’m awake. And I’m terrified that the key to that is in Emmett Carver’s eyes.”

 

                “Rose. It was just a dream. He’s just a man. A somewhat opinionated man, but not a bad one from what I’ve been able to tell. If you give him a chance maybe he’ll even be a friend. You’ve certainly always made friends with everyone we work with, before. But don’t get carried away. Don’t confuse him with the Doctor. Figure out who _he_ is before you go assuming he’s the key to your happiness on the basis of one dream. Which you called a nightmare.”

 

                “I’m not saying that! But I’m not sending him away on the basis of his face, either. Which is not his fault. Now, will you and he please be waiting in the conference room? When Connelly arrives, I’ll personally escort him upstairs to join you.”

 

                “That sounds like the plan I was going to suggest. Just... I’m sorry, you know we’re all a bit worried about you, right? If he ends up being exactly what you need, I promise to be happy for you. I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

 

                “Thanks, Jake. I know.”

 

                To say Connelly had been surprised to see Detective Carver at Torchwood would be an accurate statement in Rose’s assessment. She had been watching his face as she led him into the conference room, not having gotten the sense that a telepathic being was trying to reach into her mind at all during their short journey. His shock on seeing Carver had been plain as a rapid play of emotions crossed his face, too quickly for her to decipher. Thankfully the detective seemed to have taken his instructions on being an observer to heart, refusing to rise any time Connelly tried to bait him. Which he did frequently over the course of their hour-long interview.

 

                “Well, well, what have we here? Detective Carver, I have to say you are the very last person I ever expected to come across inside this particular government establishment. I would have thought you gave this group as much credence as you do me. I hope you don’t intend on physically removing me from the building this time. I was invited.” He started in as soon as he’d recovered from his first sight of Carver, still crossing to the chair Jake had invited him to use.

 

                “Detective Carver has been assigned by the force as our liaison. I’m sure he didn’t request the duty, but he is quite suitable to our needs. He’s also only here today as an observer, so if you wouldn’t mind, please direct all further comments to myself,” Jake cut in smoothly before Connelly could continue.

 

                “Of course. I’m so sorry,” Connelly replied, still smirking at Carver.

 

                The interview had progressed in a more normal fashion afterwards. At least normal for Torchwood assessing a potential psychic asset. Connelly still occasionally threw barbs Carver’s way, but the detective simply refuse to acknowledge him. Connelly explained that he received his information from a spirit guide and much of the first forty five minutes was spent in Jake asking for clarification on the details of Connelly’s claims. Then, the interview abruptly left even Torchwood normal behind again. Connelly went very still and stopped speaking mid-sentence. He turned and looked intently at Detective Carver where he was seated off to Jake’s left. This look had none of the condescension of his earlier attempts to bait the detective. His voice was almost hollow as he spoke directly to Carver. “They’re coming. Something from… far away… They want you. And her,” he turned then and looked at Rose. “Your lost spouse. Of this earth and not. He gave you a gift, did he not? Inside?” Rose felt a trickle of fear inside as he looked off to the side unfocused for a moment while the other three remained suddenly riveted on his words. “Ah. You gifted yourself. To ease his pain. It matters not. They will come for you soon. There are no others like you two here and now and they want you. They want you both.” Then Connelly’s eyes rolled up in his head and he slumped out of the chair to the floor.

 

 

                Emmett

 

 

                Emmett Carver was pissed off. It was either that or go into panic mode after that freak show in the conference room, so yeah, he was going with pissed off. That bastard Connelly. Trying to get a rise out of him from the start, telling the pair from England his pretty “spirit guide” story. The same load of bullshit he’d tried to feed them before during the Solano investigation. But then the interview had turned strange. Or strang _er_. Connelly had gone eerily still, then looked right at him and started spouting some crazy nonsense about someone wanting him. Then he’d turned to Rose and said that they’d wanted her as well. Remembering that part caused his anger to burn even hotter until he realize what he was thinking. _When did she become Rose? I don’t do first names. And why should a threat to her piss me off more than a threat to myself?_ And there had been something else. Something he would have dismissed as more utter nonsense, except for the looks on Jake and Rose’s faces. “ _Your lost spouse. Of this earth and not.” What the hell did that mean? And what could she have gifted herself to ease his pain?_

 

                They had taken Connelly to what appeared to be a fully stocked medical infirmary, where Jake had proceeded to briskly administer first aid for fainting. When Connelly had awoken, he hadn’t remembered anything after his eerie stillness. So Jake had thanked him for his time, given him his card and asked if they could contact him if they had further questions. Connelly had agreed and Jake had suggested he see a doctor and refer the bill to Torchwood if he experienced any further complications from his episode in the conference room. Then Connelly was allowed to leave Torchwood and Jake and Rose had disappeared into her office, closing the door behind them. Apparently crazy, psychotic alien bullshit was not likely to interfere in the jurisdiction of local law enforcement so he had not been invited to their discussion. Never mind the crazy bastard had seemed to threaten him as well. He stalked from the kitchenette with a cup of coffee and closed his office door with a satisfying slam.

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                Rose closed the door behind herself as she and Jake moved into the privacy of her office. She was just holding shy of a panic attack the entire time they had dealt with Connelly’s fainting spell, but now that they were cloistered in her office she felt her calm façade begin to crack. “What was that, Jake?” she looked at him. “How the hell could he know anything about the Doctor? Okay, maybe there are beings out there who would have liked to have gotten their hands on him, sure. But, I think I can count on one hand the number of people who knew my Doctor was still telepathic. You know as well as I do how careful we were to hide that.” Rose was pacing now, as the fears that had built at Connelly’s strange outburst poured from her mouth. “Oh, God. He said they wanted Carver, too. Why would they be interested in him? What if they think he is the Doctor?” She stopped and looked at Jake again. “Shit. If there’s something out there that thinks he’s the Doctor, he’s in danger.”

 

                “Rose. Calm down. He also said they wanted you. So, if Carver’s in danger then you are as well. And, I would say it is somewhat worrisome that he also seemed aware that you yourself have telepathic tendencies. That is what he meant, right? He said you gifted yourself to save his pain. If they can tell you’re telepathic, then they ought to be able to tell that Carver isn’t. That should pretty easily distinguish him from the Doctor to anyone who is looking for that. Besides. Connelly didn’t actually give us any useful details. It’s still just a very vague threat at this point. If you can calm down, I have a feeling Carver is out there now waiting for a verdict on this situation, so…”

 

                “Yeah. You’re right of course. Just… I need a few to get my head around this.”

 

                “Take your time, Rose. But the three of us should discuss this together at some point this afternoon. We need a plan to address this before it gets out of control.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I wasn't going to post again until after finals, but one of my semester-long projects presented really well today so I celebrated by playing with my story some more. :) To any and all who have commented, thank you so much! This started as an experiment in self-entertainment and distraction and I'm frankly flattered that anyone has come along for the ride.  
> PD


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just can't seem to help myself... This is way more fun than data normalization...

** Chapter 7 **

 

                Emmett

 

                Late Wednesday afternoon Carver sat at his desk in his new office and tried to make some kind of sense of the day’s very bizarre events. Things had been off for him from the moment he had woken that morning. His sleep had been restless at best, plagued by strange dreams of Director Tyler. She’d been kneeling over a dead man, one he was somehow sure was her husband even though he couldn’t see the man’s face. She had looked so very broken huddled over the bloody shape on the ground. He’d been unable to stop himself from whispering her name; her grief called to him. When she had turned and looked at him he’d felt a jolt of electricity through his body and had jerked awake. His heart had been racing and he’d felt a moment of pure panic when he thought his pacemaker had somehow failed. As his heart slowed its pace he’d realized it was just his reaction to the dream. The panic receding, his mind had turned to the strange events that had woken him in such a state.

 

He’d still been distracted by the dream when he’d arrived at Torchwood and gone upstairs with Jake to the conference room where their interview with Raymond Connelly would happen. An upstairs he was irritated to realize had not been part of his tour the previous day. His irritation grew and shifted target to himself as he realized that he should have asked about the upstairs floors, as the building was clearly taller than the one floor he had explored yesterday. It made him wonder what else his colleagues had failed to mention. Then his attention was diverted by Jake reminding him that he was only supposed to observe the interview.

 

“Yes, yes, I know. I won’t say a word. I can’t promise you that he’ll be happy to see me, though. We aren’t exactly on friendly terms, as I mentioned yesterday, and he may view this as some form of entrapment on your part.”

 

“Let me handle him. I’ve plenty of experience with hostile interviewees, and I learned to talk circles around a person when necessary from the very best.”

 

“And would that be Director Tyler, then?” A large part of him wondered what she was like when she didn’t have this cloud of mourning hanging over her head. He’d already rejected his initial supposition that she had gotten her position based on her relation to Pete Tyler. Based on their very brief confrontation yesterday, when she had refused to capitulate on the subject of Raymond Connelly, he saw an inner strength he hadn’t anticipated. She had refused to judge Connelly second-hand. And she hadn’t allowed her discomfort with his appearance to persuade her to avoid confronting him altogether, as he assumed she would have liked to do. He was finding it very difficult to keep his thoughts from focusing on her, in fact.

 

Jake gave him a level look at his question. “Not Rose, Detective. The Doctor. John Smith, that is.” Jake’s eyes got distant for a moment. “No one anywhere could talk like he could.” His eyes focused on Carver again. “Let’s not mention this particular conversation to Rose, yeah? She doesn’t need any more reminders.”

 

“Right,” Carver nodded. He moved and took the seat Jake had indicated he should use, his mind processing this new bit of information. Curiosity about this doppelganger of his had begun to take hold. He’d intended to question Jake a bit further on the subject of John Smith, but Rose had arrived then with Connelly in tow and it had been time to do the job. Of course, Connelly had been snide, but Carver had given Jake his word that he would stay out of it, so he kept silent when Connelly poked at him. Then…

 

_Shit. I still don’t know what happened._ Connelly had had that… freak out or melt down or whatever that was. While a very large part of Emmett wanted to dismiss the episode as more of the man’s theatrics, a small part of him was worried. He wasn’t particularly keen on being hunted by anyone, alien or otherwise. Not that he had the faintest idea what some telepathic race might want with him of all people. _Telepathic aliens. Right._ What was left of his skepticism at this point desperately wanted to see this as some cry for attention on Connelly’s part. Some attempt to make sure Torchwood saw him as the real deal. After all, it wasn’t as if Carver himself had any latent abilities that would make him of interest. Connelly had probably just pulled him into this deception.

 

Except that Rose and Jake had looked rather worried before they had hustled off for their own private conference in her office. When they had emerged twenty minutes later they had admittedly been calmer, though Rose still looked a bit shaken. Of course, he was realizing now that she might always look that way around him, so that could be completely unrelated to the situation at hand. They had told him that it was their opinion that Connelly’s abilities were genuine. However, since they didn’t have any details on what the threat might be, they couldn’t really take any preventive steps yet. They would alert the field teams to the possible threat and watch for anything unusual, but until they knew more there wasn’t anything else to be done. Rose had once again retreated to her office, supposedly to make a report to the New York office and request that they be alert for any intelligence they received that might pertain to the Connelly situation.

 

Emmett had taken the opportunity to ask Jake for a more thorough tour of the facility. Jake had apologized and agreed immediately. Emmett thought he was happy for the distraction from the morning’s excitement the idea offered. Upstairs he found various conference rooms of differing sizes, the infirmary he had seen yesterday, a full institutional cafeteria that was yet to be staffed, as well as a collection of smaller interrogation rooms similar to the ones he was used to from the department. Then Jake took him downstairs and he realized Torchwood was much more than a simple bureaucracy. The first floor down housed lockers full of field gear and weaponry. Some of the weapons were like nothing he had seen before, to his great discomfort. The next level was taken up entirely by a very professional and expensive-looking scientific laboratory. Jake explained that eventually they were intended to have a full scientific team in addition to the field teams. Their visit to the final two levels had been very brief. Those were the levels where hostile aliens were to be held should the need arise. It was the existence of those two floors that began to finally persuade Carver that maybe Torchwood really did have something to do with extra-terrestrials. As they emerged from the elevator back on the main office level, he realized he might be forced to reevaluate his opinion of the threat Connelly had warned of. He’d waved distractedly to Jake and gone to his office to consider this new revelation.

 

He had come to no greater insight on the situation when his desk phone rang about ten minutes before he had planned to leave for the day. Considering he hadn’t given his new office number to anyone the ringing startled him considerably. “Carver, “he answered gruffly, irritated at the interruption of his thoughts.

 

“Emmett, glad I caught you still there.”

 

“Miller. Is this official police business?”

 

“No, good grief, Emmett. I just wanted to catch you while you were still in your office. Listen, I was thinking that you should invite your new English colleagues to dinner at my place. I’m sure they’d like to meet some locals who aren’t in their employ, and I’d really like to meet them myself. Owen has already agreed to keep the boys over on Friday night. I’ll make a lasagna.”

 

“Miller, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Jake and Donna might be interested, but I really don’t think Director Tyler wants to share a meal with me. And if she doesn’t want to come, I doubt they will either. I told you they’re like a family. Besides, we had a bit of a case shake up here today, and I have no idea what the fallout from it will be. We might be too busy for social calls at that point.”

 

“Well it doesn’t hurt to ask. You never know, she might surprise you. Just ask them, Carver. If they don’t want to, fine, you’re off the hook.”

 

“Fine.”

 

“Fine. Call me when you get home so I know whether or not to expect the four of you on Friday. Seven-thirty. Bring wine.”

 

“Goodbye, Miller.”

 

“Goodbye, grouch.”

 

 

 

 

Emmett stood somewhat nervously outside Rose Tyler’s office door a few minutes later. He was fairly certain she was still in there. He didn’t think she had left early again today. He didn’t really want to extend Ellie’s invitation, but knew he’d never hear the end of it if he didn’t at least make the offer. So he knocked and waited until he heard a soft, “Come in,” from the other side of the door. He stepped into her office as she looked up at him. She blinked in surprise at the sight of him. “Oh. Sorry, thought you were Jake or Donna. Is there something I can do for you, Detective?”

 

“Ah, no. That is, not exactly. My friend, Ellie Miller. She was my partner at the police department, my replacement there now. She wanted me to invite the three of you to dinner Friday night. You, Jake and Donna. At her place. Ah she said she thought you might like to meet some of the locals. I think she meant someone who isn’t, well, me. She’s making lasagna. You don’t have to, but she insisted I extend the invitation. I suspect she’s just about eaten up with curiosity about this place, since I wouldn’t really tell her anything. I can easily tell her no, though.” He realized he was starting to ramble so he closed his mouth.

 

Rose was looking at him with something like mild amusement painted across her features at this awkward speech. She continued to look at him thoughtfully for a moment before responding. “Actually, I’m sure Donna really would love something like that. So, I suppose… yeah. Tell her thanks for inviting us, we’d love to come. Is there something we can bring?”

 

He hadn’t expected her to accept so quickly, so it took him a moment to realize she had asked a question. “Oh. Uh, Miller said wine. Said she’d make dinner but asked for the wine. I’ll just, I’m going to go ahead and head out, now. I’ll let her know that you’ll be there, then?” he verified.

 

“Yes, Donna and I will come to dinner at your friend Ellie Miller’s house on Friday. And we will bring Jake along for the ride. And we will bring wine. Do you have an address for her?” Rose continued to look amused that he was so flustered by the turn the conversation had taken.

 

“Ah. Yes. I’ll just get you that tomorrow.” He found himself fleeing her presence before he could embarrass himself further. She hadn’t quite been smiling like she had that first morning, but the amusement had cast a dancing light in her eyes that hadn’t helped his composure one bit.

 

 

 

 

Thursday and Friday’s workdays had passed in relative calm in comparison to his first two days at Torchwood. They had discussed the bizarre interview with the field teams who had agreed that Rose and Carver’s safety should be prioritized and that they would monitor carefully for any indications of hostiles. Jake informed him late on Thursday that he and Rose had requested that their scientific team be expedited so that they could properly scan for any unusual tech that would indicate an alien presence. This reminded Carver uncomfortably of his revelation that they were quite serious when they spoke of such things.

 

Rose had continued to warm towards him. Genuine, friendly smiles replacing the bitter, frail ones he had first experienced with her. While he greatly appreciated the improvement in relations between them, it also left him mildly frustrated. Both with himself and with her. He was frustrated with himself, because every time she gave him a lovely smile his heart rate accelerated just a bit. He found his eyes lingering on her mouth in a way that was most assuredly not professional. And that was the last place he wanted his thoughts to go with regards to her. But restraining those wayward thoughts had proved impossible. He was frustrated with her because she was so warm. So friendly. Someone whose company it was easy to crave and _dammit she has to have some idea of how she’s affecting me, doesn’t she? I haven’t exactly been doing a great job of not staring._ By Friday evening he was wondering how he was going to survive dinner with Miller, Donna and Rose all in the same room.

 

 

 

 

Rose

 

Rose had been surprised to see Carver standing in her office door late on Wednesday afternoon. She had been further surprised when he had invited the three of them to have dinner with he and his friend on Friday. He had seemed certain she would refuse, and made it clear that his friend had insisted he ask anyway. He’d been uncomfortable in a way that he hadn’t been since he had discussed the matter of his appearance with her the previous day. She’d wondered if his friend was actually his girlfriend and if that perhaps explained his discomfort. The thought had made her stomach squirm uncomfortably and she had attempted to cover it with amusement. At that he had grown more flustered and it had been that reaction which had begun to set her at ease with him.

 

Her Doctors had always been confident. Whether the leather-clad warrior or the pinstriped charmer, the full Time Lord or her meta-crisis husband, always confident. Even when he wasn’t confident he exuded confidence. Maybe especially then. But this man, for some reason this man was anything but confident around her. She’d seen how decisive he was in matters of work right away, whether or not she agreed with his conclusions. Jake had commented on his assertive nature as well. But around her, she saw a nervousness creep in. It was enough of a difference to clearly set him apart in her mind. She felt a wave of relief. He wasn’t the Doctor. And she could see it. Clear as day, all of a sudden she could see it. She saw Emmett Carver and it was a blessed relief not to be fighting for her sanity every minute she was around him anymore.

 

The rest of the week passed in relative ease as Rose relaxed in the wake of her realization. Yes there was still a potential situation on the horizon, but it was so much easier for her to focus on those things that they _could_ plan for now that she wasn’t struggling for her bearings around Carver. She found herself smiling at him with an ease that surprised her even after coming to terms with his appearance. It was easy for her and Donna to slip into teasing him over his natural curtness at meetings. She noticed Jake looking at her strangely a few times, but he never said anything, so she decided not to ask. She probably didn’t really want to know what he was thinking anyway.

 

Rose didn’t have any more nightmares that week.

 

 

 

 

Friday evening found Rose, Donna and Jake all loaded into a Torchwood issue black SUV for the short trip to Ellie Miller’s home. When they arrived, Carver himself greeted them at the door. “Come on in, Miller’s just finishing setting the table,” he said as he led them through the house towards a cheery dining room. There was a steaming lasagna placed in the center of the table along with a salad, and wine glasses were already placed around the table. As they entered the room a woman entered from the other side where the kitchen was apparently located holding a stack of plates. “Miller, these are my new work associates. This is Donna Noble, Jake Simmonds and Rose Tyler. This is Ellie Miller,” he said turning back to the three from Torchwood.

 

Ellie set the stack of plates on one end of the table and came forward to greet them. “Hi, I’m Ellie, it’s great to meet you guys. God knows this one is socially challenged enough. He’d probably never have thought to introduce you to anyone else if I hadn’t insisted,” she said taking the two bottles of wine Jake offered to her. “Emmett, why don’t you go find an opener for this while I get everyone a plate. Let’s not stand on ceremony, dig in.”

 

Rose watched as Emmett left the dining room for the kitchen while Ellie got everyone sorted with plates and silverware. Emmett returned with a wine opener and wine was poured while everyone took turns serving themselves. Dinner progressed easily, Ellie being far more personable than Emmett was. Early into their meal Rose found that she genuinely liked the woman. She was friendly and seemed interested in their lives in London and as professionals. She didn’t ask them for any specifics but was interested in their organization. The care she took not to ask about Rose’s romantic life made it clear that Emmett had forewarned her, but she found she didn’t care.

 

They had finished their meal and were lingering around the table over the wine after Ellie had insisted no one bother themselves with the dishes. Rose and Donna had already agreed with Ellie that they needed to arrange a regular girls’ night out between the three of them, and Donna was now explaining to Ellie the horrific experience she had had with the man who had jilted her at the altar. Jake was rolling his eyes, knowing that Donna was well over the man by now. Carver looked distinctly unnerved by this talk of weddings. Ellie was vigorously commiserating with Donna when they were all startled by Jake’s mobile ringing.

 

“Simmonds here.” The other four fell silent as he listened to the person on the other end speak. “I see. Yeah, sure. Rose and I will be there shortly. See you then.”

 

Rose looked at Jake. “What’s up?”

 

“That was Nadia. They saw a tiny blip of a signature on the handhelds that arrived as we were leaving and went to check it out. They found one of the MIAs. An Albert Carmack. Sorry to have to cut the evening short Ellie.”

 

“I’m sorry, too Ellie, but he and I really should go deal with this. It’s a good thing two bottles of wine doesn’t go that far among five people,” she smiled apologetically at Ellie as she and Jake stood to ready themselves for the trip back to Torchwood. Donna stood as well.

 

“I came with the entourage, so that’s my cue to leave as well. We should definitely do girls’ night next Friday, though, Ellie. It was so great to meet you.”

 

“All of you as well. Yes, I’ll try and guilt Owen into doing Friday again, but I can’t guarantee I won’t have to ask Uncle Emmett here to keep an eye on the boys for me,” she said grinning at Emmett.

 

It was then that Rose noticed he had stood and was preparing to leave as well. “I’m coming with you. They just find a missing person, out of the blue, and that doesn’t seem strange to you? Aren’t we supposed to be looking for anything _unusual_? Something that might indicate _other_? What if this is… I’m coming, that’s all.” He strode purposely through the room and towards the front door as Rose and the other three watched him with surprise.

 

“I guess Emmett is coming with us,” Rose said.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. It's either really good or really terrible, I haven't decided yet.  
> PD

** Chapter 8 **

 

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                Rose and Jake dropped Donna off at her cottage before heading back to Torchwood, Carver having taken his own car. Afterwards, an awkward silence descended on the vehicle for a moment. “So, Carver seems concerned,” Jake broke the silence. “I don’t really see any need to be at this point. The scanners just arrived today, it seems reasonable that we would find something right away when we haven’t had any proper technology until now.”

 

                “I think he’s still a little overwhelmed by the reality of, you know, aliens,” she grinned with relief that this was the topic Jake had chosen to address first. “And I think he might have gotten more worried about the Connelly thing once he started to accept what we do.”

 

                “I’m worried about that as well, but I don’t see any reason to assume that this MIA has anything to do with that. Though there might be a few other worries I’ve been entertaining.” He looked at her from the corner of his eye as he concentrated on the road. “Rose… I’ve seen you warming to him… I have to repeat my earlier warning. I really don’t want you to get hurt. And, I’m starting to see Emmett as a friend and I don’t want to see him hurt either. And I know _you_ don’t like to see _anyone_ get hurt. This man is NOT the Doctor. I’ve watched you and Donna teasing him, and I know you used to gang up on the Doctor together. Don’t… Just be careful, okay? He’s not immune to that Rose Tyler charm, you know. I think you should really consider keeping things more professional with him until you’re really sure this is what you want to do.”

 

                By the end of his little speech, Rose was bristling with irritation at her friend. “You think _I_ don’t know he’s not the Doctor?! You think I haven’t catalogued _every_ difference? Every time he does something differently than I would have expected the Doctor to do? Believe me, Jake, I know Emmett Carver is not the Doctor. There is no one in this universe better qualified to see the difference. Seeing past the surface is one lesson the Doctor taught me well. There is very little in common between them aside from their looks and a tendency towards rudeness. But I have come to see that he is a good man in his own right. A good, human man. A man that I find myself liking a great deal. He’s stubborn, and doesn’t shy away from difficult conversations. He can be compassionate and kind. He’s a very dedicated detective. And right now, he’s probably waiting inside with the team still rather worried that this is about to go pear-shaped,” she finished as they pulled up in the Torchwood parking lot.

 

                “Rose… I’m sorry if you think I’m questioning how well you knew the Doctor. I’m just not sure you should be running headlong towards a relationship with Carver. Because, don’t kid yourself. That is exactly where you are headed right now. I know you well enough by now. I’ve seen you looking at him when you don’t think he’ll notice. And we already know you find him attractive. That was a given from the moment his file showed up. Just be sure it’s _him_ you’re attracted to and not a memory. You both deserve better. Now let’s go see Mr. Carmack and find out what we can learn.”

 

                “Right. Look, Jake. I know you’re worried I’m slipping into a fantasy world, where I pretend Emmett is the Doctor, but I assure you I am not. I had a… a moment of insight, I guess. It suddenly became much easier to keep them straight in my head. That’s why I’ve been more at ease than I was at first. Because I _do_ see Emmett as himself now. And, yes, of course he’s attractive. He looks like the Doctor and I was _married_ to him after all. But he is attractive for the man _he_ is also. Right now, I’m appreciating being able to see him as a friend.”

 

 

 

                Emmett

 

 

                Carver felt a growing apprehension as he pulled into the Torchwood lot. He assumed Rose and Jake had stopped to drop Donna off, or they would have been closer behind him in arriving. He couldn’t help a slight annoyance at the other two. They clearly didn’t see this situation as a cause for concern. _Right. Just run a ‘scan’, find a person the New York file says has been missing for six months the first night. That’s not ‘unusual’ at all._ He attempted to rein in his irritation as he entered the building and made his way to the infirmary on the second floor, where he assumed the night team would be waiting with the victim. If that’s what he was. He knew he wasn’t actually in charge, and barking orders was not the way things were apparently done at Torchwood, so his annoyance wouldn’t help matters.

 

                As he approached the infirmary, he could see through the door where all four members of the night field team stood around a man on a hospital cot in the room. The man was tied down to the cot and his head seemed to be rolling back and forth as some incoherent babbling issued from his mouth. When Carver entered the room and moved to join the team around the man, his motions suddenly froze and his eyes opened wide. He gazed at Carver in apparent terror. “It’s you. You have to go! You’re the man they were looking for! Go! You have to run! They’ll find you!”

 

                Carver stopped when the man’s rants shifted to address him personally. He looked at the other four in the room before swiftly exiting and moving back towards the elevator. As soon as he left the room he heard the man’s voice shift back to the strange nonsense he had been expressing prior to his outburst. _Shit. This is just… Shit! What the fuck was that?!_ He was struggling to wrap his mind around this latest unexpected development when Rose and Jake emerged from the elevator. Rose looked at him and asked, “What do we know? Wait, what happened? You look like you’re about to pass out. Is everything alright?” Concern colored her voice.

 

                Emmett watched as Jake moved past the pair of them and moved towards the infirmary, where the field team had remained. They appeared to be doing something around Mr. Carmack. Emmett looked back at Rose and related the events that had occurred just prior to their arrival.

 

                “Okaay… Just wait here a sec, yeah? And don’t be too worried, he seems pretty disoriented.” As she moved to walk towards the infirmary she laid her hand on his shoulder and he felt a tingle from where her hand rested against him. Even through the layers of his jacket and shirt. Her hand was gone only a moment after it touched him but he shivered as she moved away from him. He wanted to stop her. His instincts were screaming at him to keep her away from whatever was happening to Mr. Albert Carmack. But all he could do was watch as she entered the infirmary after Jake.

 

                Again Albert Carmack ceased his head-lolling, ranting behavior and focused on Rose, the same terror covering his face as when he had looked at Emmett. “NO! You can’t both be here! Oh, God, You have to run, you have to hide. Please, you can’t let them get you. You have to go! Go! GO!” Rose backed back out of the room, looking slightly concerned at this turn of events. As soon as she crossed the threshold back out of the room the man once again quieted to incoherence. She met Jake’s eyes and something seemed to pass between them and he nodded. The she turned back to Emmet.

 

                “Right. Uh, Emmett, why don’t you and I go wait downstairs, Jake will come let us know when they figure anything out, okay?”

 

                He looked at her, still a bit dazed by this turn of events, and nodded before shuffling into the elevator with her. He felt a jolt of tension in his gut as the door closed and he realized they were alone together for the first time in several days. In close quarters. The nerves brought him out of the cloud his thoughts had entered when Albert Carmack had started yelling at him to go. In place of her typical business attire she was still wearing the jeans and black V-neck sweater she had worn to dinner at Ellie’s. The casual clothing made him all the more aware of her soft curves. He was reminded uncomfortably that he had been without female companionship for far longer than he cared to contemplate. He released a sigh of relief when the brief ride ended.

 

                Once downstairs Rose went to the kitchenette to fix herself a tea, while Emmett paced around the common area with nervous energy. Rose called out to him to ask if he wanted anything but he replied in the negative. “I’m pretty sure I can’t stomach anything until we find out what just happened. I mean, what the hell _was_ that?” he blurted.

 

                “Look, yeah, I know, that was pretty freaky,” Rose said as she returned with her tea. “But we did already know that there was something brewing. If you didn’t believe the Connelly interview then you have to be convinced now. And now, we have the potential for a lead. Jake is really good at this sort of work, so maybe he’ll have something when he comes down. At least it’s something concrete we can work with, which is more than we had before.”

 

                Just as Rose was finishing this reassuring speech, Jake emerged from the elevators and approached them. “Well, Mr. Carmack appears to be the victim of a malfunctioning transmat. His mind seems pretty scrambled at the moment, so we’ve sedated him for now. We’re expecting a pair of science officers from New York on Monday, so we’ll wait and see if there’s anything they can do for him before we resort to anything extreme. But…”

 

                “But what, Jake? We really need to hope they can get some of his memory back. That might help us figure out what we should be looking for. And what about his outbursts?” Rose questioned.

 

                “That’s just it, Rose. I think…”He turned to Emmett. “I think you should consider giving us a blood sample. I’d like to check for a few markers to see if I can figure out why he’s fixated on the pair of you. Rose has been targeted before, but I can’t see what you could have to do with it. I know it’s a little invasive, but I think it’s our best plan of action for now.” He looked curious about Emmett’s reaction to his request.

 

                “A blood sample?! Why the hell would I do that?”

 

                “Because there are tiny segments of the population that have unique genetic variations. A few in particular are exceedingly rare in this time. Some very rare individuals have a predisposition towards sensitivity. I know how to run the genetic analysis equipment in the lab and I know what to look for. We have had the good fortune to examine the genetic makeup of several friendly telepathic races and I’ve seen it before. Twice. It could be nothing, but it is something we can look for. You can refuse, of course. But I think it’s a good idea.” Jake turned back to Rose. “And I think we should call Pete. He’d want to know you’ve been targeted and you know it.” He glanced back at Emmett before continuing, “There are other things he might want to know as well,” he finished.

 

                Rose jumped in quickly. “Don’t call Dad just yet, Jake. Please. I don’t want him and Mum to worry and there isn’t anything they can do from London anyway. I don’t want him thinking he needs to leap to my rescue. I promise to call him myself if we find something concrete, or something more serious happens, yeah?”

 

                Emmett had gotten hung up on the part of Jake’s statement that seemed to imply he thought that he himself was one of these sensitives. “What do you mean ‘sensitivity’? And what makes you think that having seen what telepathy looks like genetically in an alien means you can identify it in a human?” he questioned Jake.

 

                Jake’s eyes flicked almost imperceptibly towards Rose as he answered. “I’ve seen it in a human.”

 

                Emmett narrowed his eyes at this information. “Right. Fine. Where? We obviously can’t do it in the infirmary with that Carmack fellow freaking out in there.” His irritation was building again in proportion to his confusion. It seemed the two had more information than they had so far deemed necessary to share with him. That thought was pushing his temper closer to the surface. “And then, I would very much appreciate it if the two of you would share whatever insight it is you’re hiding from me. I’ve been pulled into this bullshit against my will, and I think I have a right to know anything about it that you do.”

 

                Rose and Jake looked at each other for a moment and then Rose sighed and looked back at him. She looked right into his eyes and said, “You’re right. I’m sorry. There are some things that have been secret for so long that it’s instinct now. You do deserve to know. I’ll tell you everything I can while Jake runs the test, okay?” She reached out and gripped his hand. “Come to my office, yeah? Jake can bring what he needs for a blood sample there and then I’ll… I’ll tell you what I know.”

 

                “Thank you, Rose,” he said with sincerity. His annoyance had vanished when her hand had touched his. A warmth radiated through his body from the point of contact between them. “I just want to understand.” And he let her lead him by the hand to her office. He didn’t notice Jake’s irritated huff. Nor did he realize it was the first time he had addressed her by her first name.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The conversation...

** Chapter 9 **

 

****

                Rose

 

 

                Rose released Emmett’s hand as they entered her office and she gestured for him to have a seat on the small sofa in one corner. As he was sitting she took a deep breath. “I promise I’ll explain some things that I know and some things that we suspect, but I want to let Jake go ahead and get started on the analysis first so we can talk without interruptions, okay?” she said as she sat next to him. The sofa was small, and there wasn’t very much space between them. “It’s just that some of it is hard to believe and some of it is impossible to believe and all of it is dangerous if the information were to become common knowledge,” she said as she tried to catalogue what she could safely tell him. She trusted him, that much she knew. And she knew he was right, he was apparently a part of this and he deserved to know as much as they did. She just didn’t know how far his belief could be stretched, and… Well, aliens and telepathy were far-fetched, but he had already seen enough to begin to see the truth of those things. A half-alien wasn’t too far of a stretch, but parallel universes? She had no proof, and she wasn’t sure she could convince him without it. She also wasn’t sure that part of the story was relevant. She was still undecided when Jake returned and efficiently took a blood sample. He promised to return when he had results and left them again by themselves.

 

                Rose looked into Emmett’s eyes then and began to speak. “There are some things about my husband, John Smith… The Doctor… which you wouldn’t have found in your, ah, _research_. Things that we were always very careful to keep hidden. This might be difficult for you to hear… It’s difficult for me to discuss with someone who never even knew him.” She took a deep breath before she continued. “My husband wasn’t entirely human, Emmett. He was part alien. And the race he came from were touch telepaths.” She paused to judge Emmett’s reaction, but he merely waited for her to continue. “I…” she realized that she wasn’t going to be able to make him understand _her_ abilities without part of the story from the other universe, so she threw caution to the wind and plunged ahead. “I met him when I was 19 years old. He was an impossibly old, time and space travelling alien from an ancient race. He saved me and I saved him. We travelled together through time and space for a while.” Her eyes grew distant as she searched for the words. “Something happened and we were in what he thought was an impossible situation, so he sent me away in his ship. He meant to keep me safe while he went to his own death. I couldn’t let that happen, so I ripped open his ship. His _sentient_ time and space ship. I looked into the time vortex at her heart and we returned to the Doctor and we saved him. But it was killing me. So, the Doctor saved me again.” She decided to leave out regeneration for now. “And we continued travelling until something terrible happened again. Torchwood in our universe-“

 

                “What do you mean ‘our universe’?!” Emmett interrupted.

 

                “I’m getting there. Torchwood in our universe had been messing around where they shouldn’t. They had opened a rift between parallel worlds. Into this parallel world, specifically. The cyber men had come through the void between universes from this world to that one along with something worse that had been waiting in the void. There was a battle. The Doctor and I managed to force the cyber men and the Daleks to be sucked back into the void, but… I fell. I would’ve been sucked into the void myself if Pete from this world hadn’t jumped at the last second and caught me. I was trapped here and the Doctor was stuck on the other side.

 

I spent years trying to find a way back to him, but nothing worked. Until the stars started going out and my project suddenly became functional. We knew that he was the most likely being in any universe to solve whatever was going wrong and so I went back to him with Torchwood’s blessing. And we did it. We fixed the problem and the stars came back. But in the course of those events something completely unprecedented in any universe happened. The Doctor accidentally managed to… well, sort of clone himself. But the clone wasn’t fully alien, there was human DNA in the mix. So, my husband, my meta-crisis Doctor, he was the result. Part human, part alien, still a touch-telepath. And after we returned here, after everything was over, he and I discovered something together. When I looked into the time vortex, when I returned to the Doctor that first time, I had done something to myself before the Doctor intervened. I had enhanced my own telepathic abilities. So when Jake says he’s seen it in a human before, he means me,” she said the last quietly, her nerves having finally caught up to her mouth as she waited for some response from Emmett.

 

She started a bit when he suddenly jumped up and began pacing in agitation. He stopped as suddenly as he had started. “ _Time_ and space ship? You’re implying time travel, right? So when Connelly said no others like us here and _now_ , he means in this time?”

 

“Yes. The Doctor told me that thousands of years into our linear future humans have developed to the point where sensitives are more common, but we’re never going to be a primarily telepathic species. In this time, sensitives are extraordinarily rare. In my travels with the Doctor I only ever met one pure human who was one.”

 

“Why do you keep calling him the doctor? I thought your husband’s name was John Smith?” a hint of accusation colored his voice now, and Rose sighed.

 

“Because that was his name. Alien, remember? John Smith was the name he took so he could integrate into human society. Can’t exactly get a government issued ID in the name “The Doctor” now can you?” she allowed a hint of her own irritation that that was the detail he was focusing on to come through.

 

He resumed his pacing, and she could practically see the wheels in his head turning as he decided what to ask next. “If sensitives are so rare, what make the two of you think I’m one? Were you even one before your whole ripping open a time machine experience?”

 

“Not that I’m aware of. But those genes are already floating around the human gene pool. They just won’t coalesce for a few millennia. The sensitive I met was in Cardiff in 1869, so it’s not impossible for there to be one in Gracepoint in 2015.” She was beginning to worry it had been too much information too fast for him, as he continued his pacing.

 

“He didn’t look like an alien,” he suddenly blurted out.

 

“He was Time Lord. He would’ve said we look like them, since they came first. He was, however, quite proud of the fact that there were no apes in his ancestry,” she said as a wave of affection for her late husband swept through her. She was astonished to find it only slightly bittersweet. They were prevented from further discussion by Jake’s return. Rose looked at him in surprise. “That was fast.”

 

“We need the information. It’s a match.”

 

“What does that mean?” Emmett asked him

 

“You have all of the markers. In the same sites as Rose and… and John.”

 

“He knows Jake. I told him about the Doctor. I told him everything.”

 

“What?! Rose…”

 

“Look at him, Jake! This isn’t a joke. He doesn’t understand what is happening. He’s not the type to believe pieces of a story that doesn’t make sense without all of the parts.” She shrugged. “I didn’t think I had a choice and he deserves to know as much as we do.”

 

“Fine.” Jake said curtly. “You have all of the same markers as Rose and _the Doctor_ on the sites pertaining to telepathy in humans. If I were being called upon to make a judgement I would say your abilities are probably slightly less than Rose’s in this area. I would also assume that since the markers are the same your telepathy will be touch-based as well just as hers is. Since she’s seen fit to inform you of her history,” Jake was clearly NOT pleased with her decision, “I’m sure she’ll be happy to show you the rudiments of telepathic shielding as well. You probably won’t be happy to learn that this makes you more susceptible to mental attacks until you’ve learned to hold your own shields. I suggest the two of you make that your priority.” The Jake turned and stalked back out of the office.

 

 

 

Emmett

 

 

Emmett was starting to wonder if he had fallen asleep at Ellie’s after having too much wine. This entire situation seemed too surreal to be anything but a dream. She couldn’t possibly expect him to believe half of that story. Okay, fine, maybe her husband had been an alien. Or half-alien. Or alien-clone. Or whatever. And after the events of the past week he could believe that the two of them were perhaps telepathic. But parallel worlds?! Really?! And now Jake and Rose were convinced that he was himself telepathic as well. That was absurd. He couldn’t read anyone’s thoughts. He realized that Rose was still waiting for him to speak in the wake of Jake’s exit.

 

“I don’t know what to say.” It was all he could come up with. The events of the evening were catching up to him and his brain felt numb and overloaded. “I think… I think I’m going to go home.” He looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was just past midnight. “I’ll… I’ll see you on Monday, then I guess.”

 

She looked at him sadly. “Yeah. We’ll call you if something urgent comes up. And… If you need anything… Just, if you want to ask anything else, or if there’s something you don’t understand… You can call me, yeah?”

 

“Right.”

 

“Goodnight Emmett.”

 

He turned and walked away without responding. He moved to his car in the parking lot and drove himself home. His thoughts were a dark muddle as he tried to figure out what part of the explanation she had provided he could possibly accept as truth. He hadn’t reached any conclusions when he pulled into his dark driveway. He shuffled to his bedroom and stripped down to his underwear before crawling into the bed. He spared a grateful thought that he wouldn’t be expected to show at Torchwood the next morning before allowing the deep sleep of shock to take him under.

 

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                After Emmett walked away Rose struggled to collect herself. She knew it was unreasonable to hope he wouldn’t react negatively to the story and the news about his genetics. Just a week ago he had been certain that none of what Torchwood represented was real. No psychics, no aliens, no telepaths, no parallel worlds. Certainly no latent telepathic abilities of his own. He surely would have dismissed as unstable anyone who had told him such story a week ago. She had hoped he had gained enough trust and respect for her and for their work over the course of the week that he would at least be willing to consider her explanation and her past. Not knowing how he was going to feel about any of it, or her, tomorrow left her feeling intensely anxious. She wasn’t sure why she suddenly wanted his acceptance so badly, but the idea that he might want nothing to do with her any longer was a heavy weight on her heart. She knew she would have to teach him the shielding techniques she had learned from the Doctor and the thought of sensing his rejection so intimately filled her with distinct pain. The shock of the pain she felt at the thought served to shake her from the stupor she had fallen into on the sofa in her office. Looking up at her clock she realized Jake had probably already left. She had been sitting lost in her own thoughts for over an hour since Emmett had gone home.

 

                She stood up and collected her things for the short journey back to her cottage and a much needed sleep. When she arrived home she decided that she needed to shower away the stress of the evening’s emergency. After spending longer than necessary enjoying the pounding of the hot water, she got out and put on a soft pair of short pajamas and finally lay down under her sheets. She had worried that she wouldn’t be able to find the rest that she needed, so upset about the situation with Emmett, but sleep took her soon after her head hit the pillow.

 

 

 

                Emmett

 

 

                Emmett Carver was walking through a long, abandoned hallway. It was so long he couldn’t see the end of the hallway in front of him. When he turned to look back the way he had come, he could not see the end in that direction either. He had no memory of where he was or how he had gotten there, but there was a nagging sense that he was supposed to be looking for something. Something important, _so_ important. If only he could remember what it was. He continued walking along the hall in the direction he had initially been facing.

 

                He walked for an indeterminate time through the dim hall. The only features were an unchanging dingy brown carpeting, dirty once-white walls, and plain wooden doors at seemingly random intervals on either side. For the first while, he had ignored the doors, but now as he came across the next he found himself compelled to begin opening them. Maybe the thing he was searching for was behind one of them. He turned the knob and opened the door to find it filled with a golden light. He couldn’t see what was inside the door through the brilliance, so he shook his head and moved on. At the next door he came to, he approached and placed his hand on the knob only to hesitate at a deep rumbling that he belatedly identified as growling. An instant before he removed his hand from the door he heard what sounded like howling in the distance behind the door. That was actually a bit unnerving, even in this strange state of ignorance he found himself in. He left that door alone and continued walking.

 

                At the next door, the compulsion to open it was stronger than it had been for the previous two. He placed his hand on the door and it swung open almost before his hand made contact. Through the door there appeared to be a rose garden. He stepped through and began to follow a winding path though the flowers. After a moment, in the distance he could see a blonde woman seated on a bench with her back to him. She was sitting slightly hunched forward on the bench. As he drew closer he realized the woman was Rose and he came to an abrupt stop. She was still wearing the clothes he had last seen her in. She was upset. She was afraid of his reaction to the things she had revealed today. She was worried he wouldn’t want anything to do with her, wouldn’t let her show him how to protect himself. She was afraid he would reject her when she attempted the training. She was afraid _he_ would reject _her_. She was also quite worried about whatever it was that was apparently looking for them. Though more for him than for herself. As he realized what he had been thinking he also realized he was quite certain she was thinking and feeling all of those things. He had no idea where the certainty had come from but it terrified him. He turned and fled back down the path towards the door, careless of the footing. His foot collided with a large rock as he stepped off the path and he stumbled and fell to the ground.

 

                And found himself tangled in his sheets in his bed. He sat up and blinked blearily at the clock on his bedside table. It was two in the morning. He flopped back down and let out a groan of frustration as he began to attempt to return to sleep. It was another hour before he dropped back off again, this time with no dreams to interrupt his rest.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My husband had emergency surgery this weekend and finals begin today, so I may not get another chapter up for a few days. We'll see how it goes. PD

** Chapter 10 **

 

 

                Donna

 

 

                Donna woke up Saturday morning to a knocking on the front door. “What the bloody hell,” she muttered as she pulled on her dressing gown and shuffled her way to the door. She opened her door to see Jake standing there looking grim. “What’s happened?” she asked him, feeling a jolt of adrenaline at his expression. “Is it that field call? Oh God, is Rose okay?”

 

                “Rose is fine,” he said gruffly as he pushed past her and headed towards her kitchen. “I’m just finding it a bit difficult right now to support her decisions.”

 

                Donna followed in his wake after closing her door. She calmed down at his words, realizing this was more a personal problem than a professional one. “Right. And would those be her Torchwood decisions or her personal ones?” she asked him as she moved to start tea.

 

                “Both, Donna. Letting Carver come on that call last night. I don’t care who he looks like he’s NOT Torchwood, he’s the police liaison. That MIA doesn’t revert back to their jurisdiction unless we decide that’s the appropriate course of action. There was no reason for him to be there. And then…” He trailed off, seemingly overwhelmed by irritation. “Well, we figured something out. Really, I wouldn’t have thought of it if he hadn’t been there, but I knew there had to be something… That Carmack bloke went bonkers if Rose or Carver were in the same room as him. We tested Carver’s blood against the markers from Rose and the Doctor’s blood. It’s a match. He’s a sensitive. And while I was running the test… Rose told him. She said she told him everything. I don’t know if she just means the “my husband was an alien” bit or the whole “I’m from a parallel universe” thing but either way, I don’t like it. It’s too much, too soon, Donna.”

 

                _Ooooh, she did it. She must really be a goner already. I wonder if she realizes…_ Donna nodded her head thoughtfully as she considered Jake’s concerns. “Jake… I thought we had all decided that he was trustworthy. And Rose has always been an excellent judge of character. If she thought he was ready, then maybe he is. I know you think she’s confused, but she’s really not. I’ve talked to her about it quite a bit. She says she had an epiphany, and the differences became really apparent to her. If he’s a sensitive… Well, she probably thought he deserved to know why she has the skills to help him.” Her expression softened as she continued. “We brought her here for a fresh start. We don’t get to be upset now if she decides to do just that. And if he’s telepathic, too… Maybe this was meant to be, Jake. I told you she needs someone. Maybe he needs her, too. Certainly whatever is happening is happening to both of them it sounds like.”

 

                “I do want her to move forward, Donna. I just have a hard time seeing her really being able to do that with Carver.”

 

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                Rose was struggling her way back to consciousness, the dream world fading around her as her bedroom came into focus. Her phone was ringing. She attempted to locate and answer the annoying thing as her mind persisted in sorting through the strange dream. She had been wandering through what appeared to be an enormous rose garden. There were paths in every direction, some straight and some winding. In the distance, it had sounded like someone had been calling her name, so far distant it came as a whisper. She had been straining to identify the location of the person calling for her, but had been unable to tell from which direction the sound had come. Then the ringing phone had awoken her. She pushed the dream aside as she located the nuisance in question and answered with, “Tyler, here,” her voice still thick with sleep.

 

                The voice on the other end of the line came through nervously. “Hi, uh, it’s Carver. Ah, sorry, did I wake you? I can just call back later, then…”

 

                “No. No it’s fine,” she said, feeling instantly more awake. “It’s completely fine, I need to get up, anyway. What is it? Is something wrong?” She was relieved he was speaking to her, much less seeking her out for something. She realized belatedly that her question had been absurd as he answered.

 

                “Oh, no, everything is just fine. I just found out I’m supposed to be some kind of telepathic sensitive, and my boss, whose late husband could be my twin, is actually from another universe altogether. Oh, and there’s time travel involved. And something that’s hunting me, for some skill I didn’t even know was real, much less that I had it. Oh, and be careful, you’re actually vulnerable to ‘mental attacks’, whatever those are. And never mind the strange dreams I’ve been having, those are probably nothing to worry about, either. I can’t imagine what could possibly be bothering me this morning,” he rattled off in an irritation that was tinged with panic.

 

                _Dreams?_ “Emmett. You’re right. Of course, everything is really screwed up, and you’re confused and angry. I’m sorry, that was an insensitive question. What can I do?” she asked him gently. “I’ll answer anything you want to ask as well as I’m able.”

 

                She heard him take a deep breath. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to let all of that out like that. Yes, I am very confused. I… I have questions, but I don’t really want to ask them over the phone, and I really don’t feel like going back to that office today, so… Could you, could you maybe come by my place? I think I would prefer to do this in my own comfort zone if that’s okay with you?”

 

                “Yeah, absolutely. I completely understand. Do you… Would you like me to bring Jake as well?” she asked him quietly. She thought maybe he’d rather not do this without a buffer.

 

                “No! I mean, I think you’re the only one who can give me anything I could possibly make sense of about the whole… thing. And, frankly I’m starting to get the impression that Simmonds doesn’t like me, so… just you, if you don’t mind.”

 

                She sighed. “Jake doesn’t dislike you. In fact, he specifically pointed out to me yesterday that he was starting to see you as a friend. He’s just… He was always protective of me and the Doctor after we got here to stay. After we lost the Doctor… Jake blames himself. It wasn’t really his fault, but, he does. And… He’s become even more protective of me since then. So, he’s uncomfortable with the idea of you and I… building a friendship. But he doesn’t have to come with me, and he doesn’t get a say in how much of my life I decide to share with anyone. What time should I come by?”

 

                “Maybe, around noon? I’ll have some sandwiches, or something. We can have lunch while we talk. Is that… Is that alright?” He sounded so hesitant still and her heart went out to him. How could he not be completely confused right now? His entire world had been turned on its head inside a week.

 

                She looked at the clock next to her bed and noted it was just past nine. “That sounds fine. I’ll see you in a few hours, then?”

 

                “Yeah. And… Thank you again. For being patient. Goodbye.” And he hung up.

 

                Rose fell back onto her back and let out a deep sigh. He hadn’t said anything about acceptance or friendship. Just that he had questions and he thought she had the answers. The depth of her disappointment in this fact led her to an uncomfortable realization. She cared. She cared about Emmett Carver a great deal. More than friendship would warrant. She cast her thoughts back over the brief span of days she had known him. Five days. She had met him on Tuesday, and it was now Saturday, so this was the fifth day she had known him. The first two had been spent in near pathologic avoidance of the man. But after she had begun to see him as himself… She realized that she had let all her emotional walls down at once and had just let him right in. Now, she had another reason to be nervous about seeing him. She was afraid this realization was going to greatly complicate her attempts to teach him the shielding techniques that would likely become vital to his safety. That really wasn’t something she wanted to take chances with. With a groan, Rose dragged herself out of bed and went to the bathroom to ready herself for the day and her lunch with Emmett.

 

 

 

 

                At twelve o’clock Rose rang the doorbell at Emmett’s house. It turned out he lived only a mile and a half from the cottages she and Donna had made their homes. She shuffled her feet nervously as she waited for him to answer. When he did, she noticed immediately that he was dressed differently than he did for work. Even at dinner at Ellie’s house the previous evening he had still been wearing the rumpled but clean dark suit she had come to associate with him. Now, he was wearing jeans and a dark, faded Beatles t-shirt and she groaned internally at how well the clothes fit his slim form. Now that she had recognized that she was starting to have feelings for him, it was impossible for her not to notice the way her heartbeat accelerated at the sight of him. But she also noticed that he had deep circles under his eyes, and his face sported an even darker layer of stubble than usual.

 

He didn’t meet her eyes as he greeted her gruffly. “Hey. Come on in. I’ve got some ham sandwiches in the kitchen.” After he let her in and closed the door he turned and led her towards the back of the house where she found a tidy, sizable kitchen with a dining table on the side away from the work area. On the table already were two plates with sandwiches and two glasses of water. “Is water alright?” he asked. “Think I might have some apple juice from when I kept Fred last. Or milk. No tea, sorry,” he said, finally looking at her.

 

“Water is fine,” she replied. “Everything is fine. You didn’t have to do anything really.” The awkwardness between them was becoming painful to her. Even their initial meeting hadn’t seemed so fraught with tension. She took a seat in front of one of the plates and tried to calm herself. She wouldn’t be able to help him come to grips with the situation if she was a wreck herself. And if she tried to teach him anything about telepathy with her emotions running wild… _That would be very, very not good,_ she thought to herself. _Get a grip Tyler!_ She watched as he seated himself in front of the other sandwich.

 

“So,” he began after swallowing a bite. “I’ve decided to set aside the part of the story involving parallel universes for the moment in favor of trying to understand some other things. You were married to a telepathic, part alien clone. Through some alien mechanism I won’t attempt to understand for my own sanity, you made yourself telepathic. Does that accurately summarize?” he questioned her.

 

“Um.” She swallowed her own bite of sandwich and, deciding that she wasn’t very hungry at the moment after all, set the sandwich down and pushed her plate back a tiny bit as she answered. “Yeah. That’s probably the important bits.”

 

He looked at her finally. “And you and Torchwood believe that I am also telepathic. This means I am vulnerable to telepathic attacks of some sort, you say. You are saying this is related to the warning we were given by Mr. Connelly and the behavior of Mr. Carmack last night. Am I correct, so far?”

 

“That’s what I believe. I’m so sorry, Emmett. I hate for anyone to be exposed to these dangers, least of all, well… If I could take it away I would.” And she would. It was clearly causing him pain to contemplate these things. She wanted to take that pain away. It was the same instinct she had always felt with the Doctor, and his incomparable pain. That thought jolted her. _The same she had felt with the Doctor_. Could she really be that far gone already? After five days? Even as she thought the question the answer came to her. _Yes_. Yes, the feelings were there. She wasn’t ready to name those feelings, yet, but they were there inside, daring her to deny them to herself. She thought of the last nightmare she had had, and the way it had ended. The deep emotion in his eyes when he had looked at her and the freeing sensation that had accompanied the look. She found she really wanted to know what it would feel like to have him look at her like that outside of a dream. All these thoughts flew through her head as she waited anxiously for his next question.

 

His voice softened then, as he looked at her face searchingly. “Can you offer me some kind of proof? Something besides a blood test I’m incapable of reading? I’ve seen enough this past week that I’m trying to accept this, but… Well. I can’t read people’s thoughts. God knows that would be a handy skill for a detective to have, but I’ve never had any experience to lead me to the conclusion that I have any such ability. If there’s something…” he trailed off uncertainly.

 

Now it was the moment of truth, she realized. Of course there was something she could do. They were both telepathic. It would be easy enough for her to give him an irrefutable demonstration of that fact. But her own control was worn thin by the stress of the week. And she hadn’t made telepathic contact with a single other individual since losing the Doctor. She was very much afraid she wasn’t in a stable enough place to demonstrate without doing something unforgivable. Then there was the fact that he really had no idea what he was asking her for. But she desperately wanted him to understand, and he seemed to be trying so hard… “There is something I could do,” she began hesitantly. “I could show you how it works. The touch-telepathy. Only…” She wasn’t sure how to explain. He had no context for the conversation they were having. She looked down at the table as she struggled to put her thoughts into words. “It’s very, well, intimate,” she continued nervously. “It’s a level of intimacy beyond the human standard for such things, at least as you know them. I wouldn’t look at anything you don’t want me to see of course. That’s highly taboo among telepathic species. Most of them even have serious rules against any physical contact in public. Even for those races whose abilities don’t depend on touch, contact… enhances the sense. Anything you don’t want me to know about, you can just imagine putting it behind a door and closing it off.” She stopped abruptly and looked back up at him as she realized she was rambling.

 

He looked distinctly nervous, but he spoke with determination. “Yes. I thought that might be the proof you could offer. I… I’d like to try I think, but, what if I change my mind after we start? How do I, I don’t know, break contact or whatever?”

 

She felt a slight wave of relief at his question. He wasn’t rejecting the entire thing out of hand, then. “That’s very simple, actually. I’ve never had distance abilities with anyone besides the Doctor, and that was something slightly different. Otherwise, I’m strictly touch. You should be the same, so all you have to do if you decide you don’t want to continue is break physical contact with me. Is there someplace we can… Do you have a sofa or something? It’s just we would probably be more comfortable doing this there if we can.”

 

“Yeah, sure, ah, right through here.” They left their unfinished lunch at the table and he led her to his living area and a faded but comfortable blue sofa. They sat down next to each other and Rose positioned herself so that they could turn slightly towards each other on the sofa. “And what do you mean you had distance abilities with him? Was it different because he was alien?”

 

“Ah. No. That was… Look if you really want to know about that, I will tell you. It just isn’t really important for this first demonstration.” He nodded grudgingly, but she could tell he wasn’t going to let it go. She didn’t want to get into the issue of telepathic bonding just yet, so she hurried on. “Okay. Here’s how we’ll start. This will work with any skin to skin contact, but it works nearly the best if we touch each other at the temples –“

 

“What do you mean ‘nearly the best’? Shouldn’t we use the most effective technique?”

 

She looked down at his interruption and felt a blush cross her features as she thought about the implications of his innocent question. “Um, I’m really not sure that would be appropriate. Um. Yeah, that’s…”

 

“Ah.” Now he appeared to be blushing as well as he made sense of her stammered explanation. “Right. Temples, then.” He turned slightly towards her as well. “Do I just…” he raised his hands towards her head.

 

She nodded. “Yeah. You touch my temples with your fingers and I’ll do the same to you. Remember what I said about putting things you don’t want me to see behind a door?” He nodded his head impatiently and moved his hands towards the sides of her head. Their hands made contact at the same moment.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My final yesterday was shorter than anticipated, so this happened. I'm not sure I've done the telepathy justice but I tried...

** Chapter 11 **

 

 

                Emmett

 

 

                Emmett’s morning had passed in a blur of anxiety. He had awoken that morning feeling completely unrested and had known he would be unable to wait until Monday to get further answers to his questions. After his phone call to Rose, he had found himself pacing laps inside his house. He’d made an effort at tidying the place, but despite his own unkempt appearance, his home was typically well kept, so that hadn’t taken very much of the time. He’d returned to pacing, his thoughts still swirling chaotically over and through the disturbing revelations of the previous evening. Eventually he had gone to the kitchen to prepare the simple lunch he had promised her.

 

                When the doorbell rang, he felt his apprehension spike. He knew he wanted clarification on some of the things she had told him last night, but he also knew he needed to compartmentalize some of the information. He couldn’t possibly process it all at once. He was incredibly nervous about the things he was going to ask her, especially in the wake of this most recent dream. He wasn’t sure if that had simply been a creation of his mind as it attempted to sort through the deluge of new information, or if there was something else going on. He resolved to bring that issue up at another time. First come to terms with possible telepathy. Deal with dreams that seem to be more than dreams later.

 

                He was unable to meet her eyes as he led her to the kitchen and they tried to eat the sandwiches he had provided. He should have realized they would both be too nervous for any appetite. His anxiety built through their stilted conversation at the table, but he knew there was only one way he was going to be convinced that their theory was correct. He needed something other than Jake’s word and some unreadable lab report. He was slightly relieved when she mentioned demonstration as proof, and he led her to the living room so they could be more comfortable. He questioned her briefly about her comment about distance telepathy with her husband, but she didn’t seem inclined to elaborate at the moment, so he made another note to bring the subject up again later. He balked slightly when she implied there was a more effective technique for making this connection, until he realized what she had meant. Then he felt his ears growing hot. _Oh. Intimate she said._ He felt a bolt of desire as he thought about connecting to _this_ woman in _that_ way. He managed to stammer out something about her temples and then they were reaching for each other’s faces.

 

                He placed his fingers gently on her temples as she did the same to him. He had no idea what to expect, and he was still swept up in the thoughts her implication had inspired. The light touch of her fingertips did nothing to ease that line of thought, so he allowed his eyes to slip closed. He knew that if this demonstration was successful, and he couldn’t keep his thoughts in check, she would know very shortly just how attractive he found her. His anxiety ratcheted up another notch at that thought, thankfully serving as a damper to his libido. Then he felt the most curious sensation he had ever felt.

 

                It wasn’t a physical sensation, as it was confined entirely inside his head. There was a faint fluttering, almost a humming. He heard Rose whisper, “That’s me.” _I’m just at the front of your mind. Only the very surface here._ He was so startled he almost pulled away, but caught himself.

 

                “I can hear you,” he said, with wonder painting his voice. He realized in that moment that he had had every expectation of this experiment failing. He hadn’t even considered how to react if it had turned out Torchwood was right about him.

 

                _Yeah. I’m touching the surface of your thoughts now. I can only see things you deliberately project to me with this level of contact. Can you project back to me, like I’m doing to you right now?_

 

                _I… I don’t know. Can you hear this?_

 

                _Yes! Well done Emmett!_ “How does it feel? Are you alright so far?” she asked out loud.

 

                “Yeah, I’m… Yes. This is… well, incredible, actually.” And it was. He remembered her saying twice now that this was a surface connection, but even the faint sensation of _her_ there _in his head_ was making him giddy, now that wonder was replacing anxiety. _Is there… You said this was the surface. What else is there?_ He was having trouble containing his excitement as his mind conjured investigation scenarios where such a skill would be useful.

 

                _Yes there is more. But you can’t use it like you’re thinking. That’s a gross invasion. A horrendous violation. Telepathic intrusion without consent is a capital offense in many telepathic cultures. If you’ll relax your mind a bit I can show you a slightly deeper connection. We can go to a ‘shared space’ and we can practice shielding there. You’ll need to learn as quickly as you are able under the circumstances._

 

                He felt a stab of guilt as he remembered that she could hear what he was thinking, linked as they were. The way she talked about ‘telepathic intrusion’ reminded him of how they had come to this conclusion about his abilities in the first place. And made him realize that what he had been considering was a violation just as she had said. He shuddered at the thought of someone doing that very thing to him. “Sorry, yeah, right, that makes sense,” he apologized out loud. _Right. Relax my mind._ He attempted to find some way to do that and suddenly he felt much closer to Rose than he had an instant before. Now instead of that fluttering hum there was a soft golden warmth. He opened his eyes to find her hazel ones looking at him intently.

 

                His breath caught as he realized how close their faces were. There was warmth and compassion in her eyes and there was golden warmth all over inside of him, for him, and he just couldn’t stop himself. He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to hers. His eyes closed again at the contact as he waited for her reaction, both physically, and in that shared space in their heads. He sighed internally when she leaned into the kiss in return. It was almost chaste, but there was that warmth inside that was building to heat as the kiss lingered. All of the desire he had been repressing since they had met returned in a wave, and he tried to pull her closer with his hands still on her face. Their kiss built in passion as their emotions flowed back and forth like a feedback loop. He felt the gold that he now knew was her mental presence grow stronger and seem to wrap itself around him and a groan built in his chest at the sensation. It was glorious. He was drowning in Rose and it was glorious.

 

                Then she gasped and broke away from him suddenly. Not just from the kiss. The mental connection he had been reveling in was abruptly severed as well. “I’m so sorry. Oh God. I shouldn’t have. That was unforgivable. I’ll just,” She had stood up and backed away from him. He was feeling dazed by the sharp turns the afternoon had taken and he couldn’t get out the words to stop her hasty retreat. “I’ll make sure we get another telepath in to teach you the shields. They won’t be human, but… I can’t. I‘m not as stable as I thought I was. I have to go.” She turned to flee the house.

 

                “Rose,” he managed finally. She was already down the hall and nearly to the front door. She stopped but didn’t turn around to look at him. Her shoulders were set stiffly. “Rose, I’m not sorry about the kiss,” he said quietly as he approached her from behind. “I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you.” She turned then and he was shocked to see that there were tears streaming down her face.

 

                “It’s not the kiss Emmett! It’s what I almost did! And you, you don’t even know enough about what we’re doing to be upset about it. I almost put a partial bonding on you! It’s… Just believe me, it was unforgivable and I shouldn’t be involved in your training if I have that little control. I’ll find someone else.” And she ran out of the house to her waiting car, and drove away.

 

 

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                Rose’s thoughts were filled with self-recrimination as she drove home from her disastrous lunch with Emmett. _How could I do that? I didn’t even explain, or ask permission_! The touch of his mental signature had been so soothing, so comforting, that she had found herself seeking an even deeper connection. And he had kissed her. Why did she have to ruin it?! The kiss had been wonderful, with their emotions passing back and forth through the telepathic connection. Something so precious, so sacred that she’d never thought to experience again. But she had been serious when she told him her actions had been unforgivable, even if he didn’t understand why. A partial bonding was equivalent to an engagement in telepathic cultures, and harder to break. And he had no idea. She knew that he wanted to kiss her, knew even that he wanted her. She knew, now, that she wanted him as well. But what she had done had been like forcing oneself on a child who didn’t know any better and she was disgusted with herself. Once he understood what had almost passed between them, she knew he would be disgusted as well.

 

                When he had agreed readily to her suggestion of a teaching session, she had begun to feel a spark of hope. Hope that she was going to find the path forward in her life and hope that he might want to be a part of it. Hope that she could maybe find a piece of what she had once had before. When he had kissed her… The emotions she had been struggling not to put name to had risen up. His mental presence had been a deep forest green to her, so different from the Doctor’s blue tone, and yet so inviting, so warm. She’d felt his desire for her, and the urge to join with him had grown overwhelming. She’d reached out to twine herself around him and for an instant before she realized what she was doing, it had felt like coming home. Then reality had reasserted itself at his groan of pleasure and she had snapped back to herself. Too horrified by her actions to explain properly she had run away. It looked like that was another lesson the Doctor had taught her well. Avoidance.

 

                Well, she didn’t have a time machine anymore, and she couldn’t undo her actions. She would just have to move forward and find another telepath to train him as she had promised she would. It would be unfair to him otherwise. Maybe he could find it in him to forgive her one day, but she wasn’t sure she could forgive herself. She would call New York on Monday and see if they could spare someone. With that thought, she re-entered her small home and set about finishing the unpacking she had yet to get around to.

 

 

 

 

                It was late Sunday evening and it was storming. Rose had spent the remainder of Saturday and the first half of Sunday unpacking herself properly. Then she had attempted to curl up with a cup of tea and a novel. It seemed weather appropriate and she was desperate for anything to distract her from her anxiety about the situation with Emmett.

 

                She hadn’t heard from him since she had fled his house Saturday afternoon. As each hour passed she was confronted by the realization that she had held onto some hope he would seek her out again. But after more than twenty-four hours passed she had let go of that lingering thought and felt sadness consume her. He wouldn’t come. She had truly crossed the line and there would be no tender looks from Emmett Carver in her future. No resurrection of emotion and life. She had fallen into staring at her ceiling dejectedly for the last hour or so when her doorbell rang. Confused as to who would be at her door in the storm outside, she pulled herself up from where she had been lying on the sofa that had come with the cottage. She opened her door and stared in shock. There, wearing jeans and a t-shirt again and dripping wet with the rain stood Emmett.

 

                Coming to herself, she stepped back and said, “Emmett, please, come in, don’t stand in the rain, please.” He stepped inside but didn’t say anything as she closed the door and then turned back to him. The look on his face was unreadable. “Are you…um. Has something happened? I mean something else, that is,” she hurried to add.

 

                He stepped closer to her and looked down at her. She could feel the heat of his body he stood so close to her. “Rose. Please. I… I can’t stop thinking about you. And about what happened. And whatever almost happened. I… I don’t understand any of this. Please, tell me what happened. I feel like I’m being ripped away from everything I ever thought was real and this,” he reached out and grabbed her hand; she felt a warm tingle from the contact, “this is the only thing holding me in place. Please don’t run from me,” he finished in a whisper. “Please help me understand.”

 

                She pulled him into her small kitchen and said, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have run like that. Of course you don’t understand. That’s part of the problem. Just… wait here, I’ll get you a towel and then I’ll… I’ll try to explain.” She hurried to her bathroom and took a few moments to collect herself. She had spent the last day wishing for a chance to explain herself to him. She wanted to get this right. Well, as right as it could be done, considering. She took a deep breath and returned to the kitchen. She handed him the towel and gestured for them to sit at the small table.

 

                After they sat he reached across and took her hand again. The tingle she had felt before was stronger and moved up her arm and across her chest. She looked from their hands on the table back up to his face and froze. He was looking at her exactly the same way he had been looking at her in her dream. The nightmare he had suddenly appeared in after they had met the first time. Such _tenderness_ she almost choked on her words. “I’ m sorry,” she began hesitantly. “It’s… difficult to explain. I’ve… I haven’t made any sort of telepathic contact with anyone since I lost him. It’s… If you’ve become accustomed to having someone else, in your head, almost all of the time… And suddenly, that’s gone… It’s hard to believe I know, but, sometimes… It’s lonely in your own head. And you, you’re so… You. You’re a wonderful person, you care about every case, so much that you’ve built this armor around yourself. Your mental touch, it was so… so inviting and I… I got carried away in the emotions of the moment and took advantage of you.”

 

                He considered this information and asked, “In what way did _you_ take advantage of _me_? I seem to recall that _I_ kissed _you_.”

 

                “The partial bond. I almost initiated a partial bond.”

 

                “And what exactly does that mean?”

 

                “It’s,” she felt herself blushing intensely as she explained, “Okay. Marriage is… different among telepathic species. There’s no contract or jewelry or even public ceremony most of the time. Instead, there is telepathic bonding. It’s like a linking of the minds. Permanently. The partial bonding is like an engagement. Only much harder to break than simply handing back a ring. It isn’t permanent, like a completed bond would be, but… It takes time for it to fade. And not only did I not ask your permission, which is a heinous crime, I didn’t even explain what it was or what it would mean!” She looked away from him, but he refused to release her hand.

 

                “Rose.” He reached up with the hand that wasn’t holding hers and tipped her face back up to meet his eyes. They were warm. “An engagement might be getting ahead of things, but I wanted to kiss you. You had to have felt it. I felt like you wanted to kiss me. And I didn’t stop to worry that you were kissing him, either. Because I could feel you. I don’t want another telepath, Rose. Human or alien. Anything I need to learn I want to learn from you.”

 

                “But, you can’t…” she trailed off in confusion. “What I almost did, it was inexcusable-“

 

                “I forgive you. You weren’t trying to take advantage of me. You’re just tired of being alone. I am, too. What happened yesterday, Rose… I haven’t ever felt anything like it. Whatever happened, it was because you care about me and I care about you and you were lonely. Now that I know, we can be more careful. But this is too… I can’t do this without you, and I don’t want to. Please.”

 

                His eyes were full of sincerity, and that same tenderness. Hope sparked again. She gave him a tremulous smile and nodded, “Okay. But, maybe we should take the evening off from that, yeah? We can work on the shielding at Torchwood tomorrow.” She shifted her smile to a grin and let a hint of her tongue peek out. “I’m sure you’d like to get out of those wet clothes, and I don’t have anything that would fit you here. How did you get so soaked anyway? You couldn’t have gotten that wet between the driveway and the front door.”

 

                “Ah. Yes, that. I, well, I, uh, I ran. I tried to give you space, but I, I suddenly couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing you and I guess I wasn’t thinking very clearly at the time…” he trailed off sheepishly.

 

                “Let me grab some shoes and I can give you a ride to your place, if you want?”

 

                “Yeah. Yeah, I should probably…yeah. Okay. Can I just…”

 

                “Can you just what, Emmett?”

 

                “I’d like to kiss you again.”

 

                “Let’s get you home, detective. Maybe you’ll get a goodnight kiss.” She winked at him and went to her room to find a pair of shoes. Her heart felt lighter than it had in over nine months.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the storm...

** Chapter 12 **

 

 

 

                Emmett

 

 

                Monday morning Emmett Carver drove in to work at Torchwood in an excellent mood. There was still a vague alien threat hunting them. He was still vulnerable to telepathic attack. He still had questions he had not yet gotten answers to. But. But he had kissed Rose. Yes she had run. He had been temporarily crushed when she had, thinking he had somehow been wrong, and it hadn’t truly been him that she had meant to kiss. It hadn’t felt like that in the moment of their telepathic connection. No, he had spent the next twenty-four hours and then some analyzing what he had felt from her in those brief moments before she had ended their kiss. He had felt… like the center of the universe. Like there was no one else in existence but the pair of them. No, it had been Emmett Carver she had been kissing, not her late husband, he was sure of it.

 

                He had then come to the conclusion that she had run over the guilt that she _had_ wanted to kiss him. Guilt on her husband’s behalf, in his memory, perhaps. So he had waited for her to come to terms with what they had shared. The longer he had waited, the stronger the urge to go to her had become. Until, finally, without heeding the weather, he had run out into the rain. He had run straight to her house and had stood on her step to catch his breath. He had barely noticed the storm, so fixated on her, and them, and what it had felt like to have her mind and her lips touching his.

 

                When she’d let him in, he’d found the compulsion to touch her overwhelming, so he had clung to her hand through her broken explanation, the tingle he now associated with touching her spreading throughout his body. At first he had only been further confused. _How could she possibly think she had taken advantage of me?_ He had felt her, he knew she had to have felt his arousal through their connection. Then she explained what the partial bond was and he understood. He understood why she had almost done it and why she was upset. But he was himself anything but upset, now that he understood. She had taken advantage, in a way, but it wasn’t intentional. And he couldn’t be anything but thrilled that their connection had moved her so much. He thought briefly that his reaction would likely have been the same even if she had been successful. _Not yet, but maybe… someday._ So he had done what he could to reassure her. And it had worked, and she had smiled. She had driven him home and given him another kiss, unfortunately without the golden warmth in his head, but still one of the most memorable kisses of his life. The tingling he had felt every time they had touched each other had translated into a whole new range of sensations.

 

                He found himself smiling as he walked into the Torchwood building for the start of his second week. Out of all of the questions that were still circling his mind, only one now seemed to be greatly urgent. They had discovered his abilities with a genetic test of some sort, and they had been looking for gene markers. Which they had found. He needed to know if his daughter was safe. He was relatively certain she was, as neither Connelly nor Carmack had indicated that anyone else was being hunted. He had only contributed half of her genetics, after all. But he had to ask Rose if it was possible that Julianne was in danger. He could hardly call her mother and send her for some strange blood test with no explanation. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to her. Especially if it was because of him. After setting his mind at ease on that score he had another short list of questions he’d like answers to. Then he was rather looking forward to lessons with Rose. It was strange, really. He’d gone from convinced they had to be wrong about him, to shocked realization that they were right, to willing acceptance and eagerness to learn in just a few days.

 

 

 

                After lunch that day, which had been spent pleasantly in the kitchenette with Rose seated next to him, Emmett was once again sitting on the small sofa in Rose’s office. She had been tied up in her office on the phone with New York and then speaking with the two scientific officers who had arrived all morning, so he had taken his concerns about his daughter to Jake. Simmonds had reassured him that it was both unlikely that she had inherited his abilities or that she was in any danger. He had offered to send the night team down to keep an eye on the house she lived in with her mother if it would make him more comfortable, but he had declined the man’s offer. He didn’t want her getting pulled into the situation if she wasn’t already. He had cringed at the thought of his ex-wife noticing a surveillance team staged around her house.

 

                Rose sat next to him on the sofa. “Are you ready?” She beamed at him.

 

                “Yes. I am I think. But, I actually have a few questions I’ve been meaning to get to and there just hasn’t seemed like a good time before, so…”

 

                “Oh. Sure, anything at all.” She took his hand. “I want you to understand. I want you to trust me. I’ll tell you anything I can, but I might not have all the answers.”

 

                “Okay,” he began. “You said you had distance abilities with him. Your husband. That was different some way? What did you mean by that?”

 

                “Ah, that was…” She paused and swallowed. “That was a side-effect of the bond. It was different for him. He could feel me at all times after that. At least, my emotional state. He’d been alone in his head for so long… For me, I could reach out to him, if we weren’t too far from each other. It wasn’t quite a constant presence for me, but…”

 

He felt himself growing excited again at the possibility of sharing such communication with her. “I see. And, the article I read. Before I met you. About him, uh, the Doctor. It said he was killed in a mugging, but you said Jake blames himself. Why?”

 

                “It… you must have guessed it wasn’t a mugging.” Her face crumpled, and he regretted asking. He didn’t really need to know this. It wasn’t any of his business and it was causing her pain to talk about it. “It was a negotiation gone wrong.” She took a deep breath. “It was a race we had never encountered. Not even the Doctor. Jake had approved a rookie team member and he panicked. Raised his weapon while the Doctor and I were still attempting communication. So did the aliens. He…” her voice hitched and his heart broke for her as she continued. “He shoved me out of the way and they shot him. There was nothing we could do. He bled to death in minutes. Mugging was just the public story.”

 

                “I’m so sorry, Rose. I shouldn’t have asked. It’s none of my business.”

 

                She had gotten herself under control remarkably fast and offered him a smile. “It’s okay, Emmett. I want you to know about me, and he was a very large part of my life and who I am today. What else do you want to know?”

 

                He was in awe of this woman. Her self-control, her strength. That she had returned to this work after what she had lost was unfathomable. That she wanted to let him in filled him with a torrent of emotion that he _wanted_ to name. Such feelings she inspired as he had never experienced before. “It’s not really a question, actually. It’s more of an… experience I’ve been having recently. Since I met you, in fact. I didn’t think anything of it at first because, who would? But, with everything that has happened, it’s occurred to me that it might be important, so…” and he told her about the two dreams he had had. The one with her huddled over the bloody figure, when he had called her name and felt a jolt of electricity which had woken him. And the one he had had after leaving Torchwood Friday night. When he had sensed her fears and insecurities in the wake of their discussion.

 

                She sat silently for a moment. She seemed to be processing everything he had just told her. “That’s… That’s interesting. Um. Yeah. That’s my nightmare. My recurring nightmare. That was the last time I had it. The night after we met. I saw you, too. And Friday night, Friday night I sat here for a while after you left. And yes, that’s pretty much what I was thinking about then. That night, I dreamed I was in a huge rose garden. Someone was calling my name, but I couldn’t tell where they were. I woke up when you called Saturday morning. I don’t…. Yeah. I don’t know what that means, actually. But, I’m starting to think that, well, we need to get started on your shields. Not that I’m opposed to sharing dreams with you,” she offered him a heart-stopping grin. “But this just sort of emphasizes the importance of proper telepathic shielding. Maybe we’ll find something else while we work on that, yeah?”

 

                He couldn’t help but smile back at her, “Yeah.”

 

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                Monday evening Rose sat in her office after Emmett left for the day. They had plans to meet for dinner and some more practice at his home later that evening. Now she was trying to make sense of the things he had told her earlier that day about his dreams. She had remembered him mentioning strange dreams when he had called her on Saturday, but the emotional excitement and trauma of their first telepathic contact had shoved the thought right out of her head. Until he brought it up again today. She had never shared dreams with anyone but the Doctor before, and never without physical contact until after they were bonded. She felt that if she could just look at the situation from the right angle, she could figure out what it was between them.

 

                Their training session that afternoon had gone remarkably well. Her worries that she might lose control again had proved totally unfounded. It seemed his awareness of the risk had made it far easier to resist forging a deeper connection right away. They had both been careful to keep the contact as light as possible while still making progress on Emmett’s shielding. He had been a natural. His normal tendency to keep himself closed off had translated quite well into the mental constructs required to shield one’s thoughts. She had demonstrated how to build up his mental walls and had then spent the rest of the session trying to break through them. By the time they called it quits, she was confident that he would be as safe as he could be within a few more days of practice.

 

                She thought about her near slip on Saturday afternoon and the dream they had shared. She had known that she was missing the Doctor’s comforting presence in her head, how could she not? Was it possible her mind had been calling out for another telepath, subconsciously? Her Doctor had told her that even though his people were touch-telepaths, they had also been connected through some kind of mental web. Before the War he had always been able to feel them there, no matter how far in time and space he had travelled. When they were gone… He’d said the emptiness in his head had been almost as bad as the crippling guilt over his actions. Emmett had certainly never had any telepathic contact at all before. She wondered if sometime during their first meeting they had triggered something. Maybe something slightly less than a partial bond, but slightly more than a passing meeting between two telepaths.

 

                When she had lost the Doctor the first time, or rather he had lost her, they had neither of them had any idea that she had become telepathic. He’d used some kind of scanner in the TARDIS medbay after the incident with Cassandra, but he’d never entered her mind himself. Later, her husband had told her he had never forgotten her reaction to having the TARDIS in her head and translating on their first trip together. He hadn’t wanted to intrude on her, so he had left it at the scan. There had not been any abnormalities and they had just moved on to the next adventure. So, that first separation, she hadn’t missed that type of contact at all. Just Him. After she lost her husband, though…

 

                In the depths of her grief she had sometimes lain awake at night, calling out to him mentally while her body was wracked with sobs. Maybe when she had shaken Emmett’s hand that first day, her mind had recognized him as a fellow telepath and reached out to him the way she had once reached out to the Doctor. She knew that she felt strongly for him in a short period of time. She thought perhaps this unprecedented connection had accelerated things between them. She knew that she should probably feel more guilt about her feelings but she just couldn’t. It was exhilarating, this feeling again.

 

                Deciding that she had done enough contemplation for the moment, she gathered her things. She would make a quick stop at the cottage to change out of her ‘Torchwood Director’ clothes and then she was going to meet Emmett at his place. On her way to her car, Jake came running out of the building. “Hey, Rose. Stanley just wanted me to let you know that they found something. On Carmack.”

 

                “Did they get something from his memory?”

 

                “No. But they’ve analyzed the residue from the transmat that scrambled him. They think they can trace it to its source. Do you want to send a team if they can?”

 

                She thought about it. “No. Not yet. Let’s give them time to verify the analysis and put together an objective for the mission first. I’ll look at their report first thing tomorrow, okay?”

 

                “Alright. I’ll let them know.”

 

                “Thanks, Jake. And, Jake? Don’t worry about Emmett and I okay? I know you still are, just... I know he’s not _him_ , okay? I really do like Emmett for _Emmett_.”

 

 

 

                Emmett

 

 

                As Emmett left Torchwood that evening he realized that his mood had only improved over the course of the day. He was in fact, happier than he could remember being in… maybe ever, actually. His training session with Rose had gone as well as he imagined any such first lesson could. His very first attempts had been embarrassingly easy for her to overcome. Of course. He didn’t really want to keep her out. Every time she overcame his defenses he would be suffused with her golden glow. It was intoxicating, and he’d found he wanted more and more of that feeling. He had, however, realized the serious nature of what she was attempting to teach him, so he had applied himself to keeping his walls in place. By the time she had called a halt to things, he had been keeping her out on two out of three attempts. He was confident he would do much better with anyone he truly didn’t want to have access to his thoughts.

 

                He was nervous and excited about having her in his home again. It hadn’t exactly gone well the last time, but since she had explained and he had assured her that he wasn’t upset she had been so… affectionate. Sitting next to him and teasing him at lunch. Brushing her hand casually against him, hand, shoulder, back, and sending electricity and fire throughout his entire body. He was a tiny bit worried that his own control was in danger of slipping and with them alone at his house… If he didn’t put a stop to that line of thought he was likely to seduce her tonight and it was probably too early in their budding relationship for that. If that’s even what it was. Yet.

 

                He had promised her a better meal than the sandwiches they had barely touched on Saturday, so he stopped and picked up steak, asparagus and some chocolates. He didn’t think she would be too far behind him in arriving so he wanted something that could be ready quickly. He didn’t want to waste any of the time that she would be with him preparing an elaborate meal. He wanted to eat, and then return to their practice. And then, maybe, to repeat that magical moment when they had kissed while holding contact. He spared a moment to wonder what _other_ things would be like with that sort of connection…

 

                He continued to try to shake off that thought as he entered his house with the supplies he had purchased. He set his keys down on the small table near his front door and headed to the kitchen with his groceries. The storm from the night before was long gone and he had a small grill on a deck that was located just outside a door in the kitchen, he would cook their meal there. He left the kitchen briefly to shrug off his suit jacket and then returned and rolled up his sleeves. He was just finishing loading up the prepared meal onto a tray to take outside when his doorbell rang. He felt himself breaking out in a huge smile as he hurried to let her in.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologize in advance for any angst the reading of this chapter causes. The Silence made me do it? *hides behind keyboard*

** Chapter 13 **

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                Rose was in extremely high spirits as she made the short drive to Emmett’s house. She was looking forward to dinner with him, now that there was less tension between the two of them. She had to admit to herself that she was also looking forward to the possibility of more snogging. He was an excellent kisser and she had forgotten just how brilliant kissing could be. Especially between two telepaths with an open connection. She didn’t want to rush right into things with him, though. If she truly wanted to move forward with him, she needed to take her time and be sure he knew that he wasn’t a replacement, the way Jake feared he was. The telepathy would help with that, but Emmett didn’t have a lifetime of experience making judgements in that way. She knew her mum and Pete had each made a conscious effort to show each other how much they loved _this_ version of themselves. She wanted to give Emmett the same.

 

She pulled up to his home and got out of her car. She grabbed her bag and ran her hands down her hips self-consciously. It wasn’t exactly a date, but it wasn’t exactly not a date, either. She had opted to wear dark fitted jeans and a shiny cream colored top. She hadn’t been on a date or anything close to one since… Well. No sense thinking about that now. Not when there was a man waiting for her inside who was gorgeous in his own right. He deserved her full attention. She walked up to the door and rang the bell.

 

Emmett answered the door with a beaming smile. “Rose! Great, come in. I was just heading to the back, why don’t you come?” He asked as he led her back to the kitchen.

 

“Oh, sure. What’s in the back?”

 

“I have a deck and a small grill out here, I was going to cook out there then we can eat at the table inside, or I have a small table on the deck we could use. Seats might still be wet from the storm, though.”

 

“Eating inside is fine. We’ll probably want to move to the couch when we get started anyway. I doubt you want to be practicing outside,” she gave him a grin with just a hint of her tongue showing and watched as his eyes briefly focused on her mouth.

 

He seemed to shake something off before he responded, “Right. Yes, the sofa will be more… comfortable. Okay, then.” She followed him onto the deck and watched as he set about cooking their meal.

 

 

 

An hour later they had finished eating and were once again seated on his faded blue sofa. Rose turned and looked at Emmett when he took her hand. That delicious tingling started up again and his eyes were focused on her. “I’m so glad you came,” he said.

 

“Of course I came. I said I would, didn’t I?” She was confused. They had spoken about meeting at his place tonight before he had left Torchwood that evening.

 

“No, I mean… I’m glad you came to California. To Gracepoint. I’d never… Well. I’d probably never have met you if you had decided to stay in London.”

 

“Oh,” she said quietly. “I’m… I’m glad, too. I never expected to… I never expected to _care_ for someone again. I thought that was a part of my life that was over, but you… I’m just really glad I met you, too.” He gave her a warm smile and leaned in to press a quick peck to her lips before sitting up straight again. The tingling that started when he took her hand was now spreading through her entire body.

 

“Shall we begin, Director Tyler?”

 

“Excellent idea, detective.”

 

They worked on his barriers for another hour before Rose declared that that was enough work for one day. Emmett excused himself to the kitchen momentarily and returned with the chocolates he had bought earlier. “Dessert?” Rose’s eyes lit up as they fell on the fancy box he was holding out to her.

 

“Ooooh. Emmett, how did you know I adore chocolate?” She asked just before she bit into one. She let out a moan. “Oh, this is delightful.”

 

“Lucky guess,” he said with a grin, sitting down next to her again. This time, instead of sitting so they could angle towards each other, he sat right next to her. He put his arm around her shoulder and they were pressed against each other, side to side. The sensation that had started as a tingle was now coursing through her body like electricity. She turned her head so she could look up at his face and froze. His eyes were soft, but there was a spark of fire in them and she knew. He was going to kiss her. His eyes stayed focused on hers as he slowly reached up with one hand and touched the corner of her mouth.

 

“You’ve got some… right here…” his eyes never left hers as he brought his hand back to his own mouth and sucked the bit of chocolate he had gotten from her face off of his finger. She was mesmerized by his slow, deliberate movements. He pulled his hand away from his mouth and leaned down to kiss her. The kiss was sweet, and soft, and tasted of chocolate. She felt herself sinking into his arms as he wrapped them around her, her own moving to twine around his neck. Then she felt it. That fluttering in her head that meant he was asking for permission. To come in. So she let him.

 

The deep green of his mental signature filled her mind. She felt his passion and desire for her and responded in kind, kissing him harder. He groaned into her mouth and tried to pull her closer still as their mental energies spun together. The heat in her head was building to a fever pitch and she shifted so she could straddle his body on the couch. She could feel the physical evidence of his desire and felt her own arousal pooling low in her belly. His hands were roaming her back and hers were buried in his hair. She dimly remembered admonishing herself to take things slowly with him, so she struggled to control her emotions. She allowed her kisses to trail from passionate towards affectionate, nipping lightly at his full lower lip.

 

_Emmett…I…_

_Anything, Rose._

_Emmett, I should probably go…_ She thought to him as she continued placing soft kisses on his mouth.

 

His eyes were still closed. “Hmmmmm.” _You’re probably right… You just feel so… amazing. I could stay like this forever…_

 

She leaned her forehead against his, and allowed their connection to remain intact. She smiled down at him. “I know. I don’t really want to leave either.” _I know._ “But we should take things a little more slowly, yeah? This is all still so new to you. And I, I care about you. _So_ much. I want the chance to show you I appreciate you for you, okay? You deserve it.” His eyes opened she saw adoration behind the cloud of lust.

 

“Rose. You don’t have anything to prove.” He reached up and cupped her face. “I already know. I might’ve worried, but… I can feel you. I _know_ I’m not stand in, a replacement. You don’t have to convince me. But you’re right, we should call it a night. If we don’t, well, that partial bond is looking better and better and…”

 

“It’s too soon. We can’t. We shouldn’t.”

 

He nodded reluctantly. “You’re right, of course.” She slid from his lap and stood, allowing their connection to dissipate as they lost physical contact and Emmett sighed as he stood as well. Their hands found each other as they walked to his front porch. “I’ll see you in the morning, then?” She smiled and nodded at him before reaching up to kiss him one last time. She walked to her car and drove away, noticing that he was still on his porch as she lost sight of his house.

 

 

 

Emmett

 

 

Emmett sighed deeply as he watched Rose drive away. Letting her go had been difficult, and he was still struggling to get his hormones and body back into check. Kissing Rose, having her golden presence in his head, he didn’t have words for how it felt. Like all of the joy and life and _energy_ he had ever felt was packed into each tiny moment with her. He wanted that partial bond with her, hell, he wanted the complete bond. Being able to reach out to her at will, having constant access to her warm golden glow… He couldn’t imagine anything in life so miraculous, so profound as having a permanent connection to this magnificent woman. She knew he could feel the honesty of her emotions, and she still wanted to show him with her actions. He couldn’t deny it any longer and he didn’t want to try. In a week’s time he had fallen for her. He had fallen in love with her and it was as if he’d never known what that truly meant before.

 

Rose’s car was no longer visible, so he turned and reentered his house. A house which suddenly felt much emptier than it had before Rose had come into his life. Before, he had treasured his solitude. It wasn’t as if he had any friends in Gracepoint aside from Ellie. His daughter’s visits were few and far between. But he had been relatively content on his own, aside from the boredom and the occasional bout of loneliness. Now though, there was a distinctly Rose-shaped hole. He heaved another sigh before heading to his bedroom. He needed a cold shower before he could face his empty bed.

 

He entered his room and moved towards the bathroom. There was a blinding flash of light and his house disappeared. “Shit! What?” He spun in a slow circle as he took in his surroundings. He was in a dim concrete cell. The only light came in through a small slatted window near the top of a very solid-looking steel door with no handle. He fumbled in his pocket for his phone only to realize that there was no signal whatsoever wherever he had found himself.

 

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                Rose’s head was in the clouds as she walked through her cottage towards the bathroom for a shower. Her evening with Emmett had been… perfect. The meal had been delicious, as had the sight of him with his jacket off and his sleeves rolled up. His shields were progressing nicely. He was now able to keep her out almost ninety percent of the time. Despite his confession that it was difficult for him to keep her out because he didn’t want to do so. Then snogging on his sofa had been just brilliant. His reserved nature hid fierce passion. When he directed it at her, she wanted to let it sweep her away. She had wanted to stay, oh how she had wanted. But they had known each other a week, and there was a crisis in the air, surrounding them.

 

In the morning, she would have him help her review the report on the findings from Carmack. Maybe she would ask if he wanted to receive field training. Now that they knew he was telepathic, Torchwood would likely be interested in recruiting him directly. It would mean a new liaison would have to be assigned, but he had said from the start that he thought Ellie would be a good fit. Of course, he may not be interested in such an offer. She certainly wasn’t going to trigger a recruitment herself before she knew how he would feel about it. She couldn’t even guarantee him a position in Gracepoint. Although, if he did want to join Torchwood, she would lobby heavily with Pete to keep him. Or she would go wherever they sent him.

 

Rose took a hot shower and dressed herself for bed. She crawled into her bed still wondering what it would be like to have Emmett work for Torchwood proper. He would make an excellent field agent, she was certain. She wondered also if he had truly considered the bond, or if he had just said that in passing, in an attempt to get her to stay. The feelings she had been struggling not to name washed over her again as she drifted off to sleep to thoughts of Emmett, and bonds, and _love_.

 

 

 

Rose found herself in a long, curved hallway. There was a green haze in the air that seemed familiar to her, but she couldn’t place it. There was a faint hum of machinery around her. The hallway looked the same in either direction, so she picked one at random and started walking. After a while she heard what sounded like whispering in the distance, but she couldn’t make out the words. She hadn’t passed any doors as she walked, so she hurried a bit as she tried to find the source of the whispers. The sound was starting to fill her with anxiety. Someone in this place needed her help. She had to find them.

 

As she rushed along, the hallway’s curve grew sharper until it seemed to point back the direction she had come from. The green haze grew darker. As she rounded the sharpest bend in the curve the whispers abruptly stopped. In front of her was the first and only door she had seen in this place. It was heavy and steel with a solid looking deadbolt as well as a keypad lock mechanism. Near the top, in the center was a small slatted window. The hair on her arms stood up, and her skin crawled at the sight of that door. Rose approached the door carefully and placed her hand on it. She whispered, “Hello? Is someone in there?”

 

“Rose!”

 

“Emmett!?”

 

 

With a shock, Rose sat up in her bed, in her cottage in Gracepoint. She took great gasping breaths as she realized it had been a dream. _But it was so real_ , she thought as her breathing calmed. She looked at her clock and saw that it was almost time for her to get ready anyway, so she heaved herself out of bed. She went to her bathroom and began the process of preparing herself for the day, but her mind was preoccupied with the dream. Something was nagging at her sleep addled brain for her focus. There was something… important. She was suddenly filled with dread as she realized what it was that had been bothering her. The green haze. It was a very specific green. It was _Emmett_ green.

 

She rushed back to her bedroom to locate her phone and dialed Emmett’s number. Instead of ringing it went straight to voicemail. “Crap!” She hung up and called Jake instead. “Jake! We have a situation here. I think Emmett might be in trouble.”

 

                “Rose? What time is it? What do you mean trouble?”

 

                “I’m sorry, Jake I know it’s early. Just listen, okay? Remember I told you I saw Emmett in my dream that night? The night after I first met him?”

 

                “Yeah... And?”

 

                “He had the same dream. He dreamed he saw me there and called my name and I looked at him. Just like what happened in my dream. And there have been other… things.”

 

                “What ‘other things’?”

 

                “It doesn’t matter right now! What matters is that we’ve been sharing dreams somehow, and I had one right before I woke up. He was trapped in a cell in this strange place. Didn’t look like twenty-first century earth technology to me. When I woke up I tried to call him and his phone went straight to voicemail.”

 

                “Rose… Are you sure his phone isn’t just dead?”

 

                “Look, Jake, if that is all it is I will happily let you tease me about this forever. But in case you haven’t been listening, we’ve been _sharing dreams_! And _this_ dream was tinged with the color of his mental signature! So, please, I’m going to his house. I will call you when I get there either way. If there is a problem I want a team ready to go immediately as soon as we have working intelligence. I can’t lose him, Jake. I can’t. Not again. Please.”

 

“Rose. I’m sorry. I’ll head to the office right away. I’ll start prepping a team and I’ll see if I can find anything useful in that report the lab rats left from yesterday while I wait to hear from you, okay? Just… Does he really mean so much to you? Already?”

 

“Yes, Jake. Yes he does. And he’s no replacement for the Doctor. He’s Emmett. And I think I need him. So, please help me find him.”

 

“Of course. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye.”


	15. Chapter 15

** Chapter 14 **

 

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                Her thoughts were racing as she pulled into Emmett’s drive. His car was still there. Maybe Jake was right, and his phone was just dead. She hoped that was all there was to it. She couldn’t bear to lose him. She walked up to the front door and rang the bell. She didn’t hear anything inside the house, so she waited a moment and then knocked, calling out to him. “Emmett? It’s me, Rose.” She waited another moment, but still didn’t hear anything inside. She tried the door knob. It opened easily and she stepped inside. She noticed his keys still on the table next to the door and called out again. “Emmett? Are you here?” Hearing no response, she quickly moved through the house searching. There was no sign of a struggle but also no sign of Emmett. His bed was still made. He hadn’t slept here.

 

                She pulled out her phone to call Jake again. She was trying to rein in her panic. She wouldn’t do him any good if she couldn’t think straight. She needed to be Director Tyler right now. “Jake. I’m at his house. He’s not here. His car and his keys are here, his bed is still made, but he is not here. Can you get over here with a team and some equipment to scan for abnormalities? Bring the report with you, I’ll go over it here. And ask Donna if she would please call London. I can’t put it off any longer, we have a missing police liaison.”

 

                “Rose, if Pete hasn’t already seen his file… When he sees his picture…”

 

                “I know, Jake! He’ll probably freak out, just like you did, just like I did. And I don’t even want to know what Mum is going to say. But I am not going to explain myself while he is _missing_. When he is safe, if you all want to stage an intervention and explain how unstable you think I am that is fine. _After_ we find him. Until then, my focus is on that and anything else is a distraction from the situation.”

 

                “Rose, I believe you. I _was_ really worried about you both. But, if you say it’s him, and not wishing for the past, then I believe you. But Pete is not likely to just let a thing like that go. He’s going to want to know why you haven’t said anything.”

 

                “I know. I will deal with that after.”

 

                “I’ll be there in about fifteen. See you then.”

 

                “Thanks. Bye.” She hung up and looked around Emmett’s empty house. She was acutely aware that there were things left unsaid between them. That was something she had vowed never to do again, and yet here she was. She had been separated, again, from a man that she… They had known each other such a short time, but she felt as if he had been waiting, here, to heal her. Like she had been meant to find happiness again, with him. And he was missing. She couldn’t lose him without telling him. She couldn’t. They would find him. She moved back to the porch to wait for Jake and the team to arrive.

 

 

 

                Emmett

 

 

                Emmett lay on the rough cot in the cell staring at the plain cement ceiling. He hadn’t seen the faintest hint of his captors. The room wasn’t much longer than the cot, and about the same width. In a corner was a contraption he had assumed was the toilet when he was forced to make use of it a few hours earlier. His phone told him it was now nine thirty in the morning. Rose would have noticed he wasn’t at Torchwood by now. There wasn’t any signal here, wherever here was, but his phone had been half charged when he had arrived. It probably wouldn’t last much longer. Then he wouldn’t even know the time.

 

                On finding himself in the cell the previous night with no way to contact the outside world, he had paced in agitation. He had tried reaching out to Rose with his mind, but he had known it would be futile. They didn’t have a partial bond yet, much less the complete one which would allow them some measure of distance communication. He was regretting that, now. She had, of course, been absolutely right. It was too early to consider something so like marriage. But his security in both his feelings and hers had grown through the strength of their mental exchanges. All of the doubts and insecurities that had plagued every other relationship in his life, all of the betrayal he had felt at his ex-wife’s affair, everything that had ever led him to hold himself aloof from other people, it was all unnecessary with her. He wanted the bond. If, no, _when_ he got out of this place he would make sure that she knew it.

 

                When his pacing had finally led to exhaustion he had thrown himself on the cot and tried to find rest. That had also been futile. Sleep had been fitful, full of dreams where Rose was looking for him, but couldn’t find him. He had woken a few hours earlier after a particularly vivid one where she had whispered to him from right outside his cell. It had been almost painful waking to find himself on the cot and still alone.

 

                His body was beginning to remind him that it was past his normal breakfast time. He hoped his captors intended to at least feed him. He strongly suspected that he had been taken by whomever had had Mr. Carmack. _He was missing for six months, so they must have fed him, right?_ He was grateful his mind hadn’t yet been muddled the way Carmack’s had been. As he was considering this he heard a clanging at the cell door that indicated his captors were about to make their first appearance. He pulled himself up to a sitting position and waited to see who it was that had taken him.

 

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                Jake arrived at Emmett’s house in an SUV with the entire day field team fifteen minutes after she spoke with him, just as he had said he would. The five of them hopped out of the vehicle and the team moved past her to enter the house with hand held scanners. They were decked out in field gear, including weapons, and moved with an air of expertise that she was grateful for. She did NOT want any rookie team members on _this_ mission. Jake came to speak to her. “I’ve gone through the report. They’re certain they can trace the signature back to its point of origin. I think after we finish here we should consider trying to send a remote camera through to see what we’d have to deal with on the other side. I don’t want to take any chances that we don’t have to take.” Torchwood had developed an altered version of the dimension hoppers with the Doctor’s help. It allowed them to make jumps through physical space now, instead of between universes. It was, however, a moderately uncomfortable experience, so they were used rarely.

 

                “Yeah, that sounds good. But if we find something here I want Stanley and Rothburn on the analysis as quickly as possible. I’m far less interested in wherever Carmack was than where Emmett is right now. If we find something here we can trace, you and I are going to accompany the team.”

 

                “The lab rats are already standing by, and I made clear that this was to get the highest possible urgency. But, Rose… Don’t you think you and I should hold command and let the team do what they do best? They don’t need us and I really think-“

 

                “No, Jake. I know this team is experienced. But I am not going to sit back and do nothing! You and I are the best Torchwood has. We are going. If he’s being held anywhere like the place I saw in my dream we’re going to need a way to get through that door. It was solid steel, with a deadbolt and a keypad lock. Call the lab rats and have them get on that while they wait for us.”

 

                “Fine.” Jake turned away and pulled his phone from his pocket as he moved to join the team scanning in the house.

 

                Half an hour later, Rose heard excited conversation from where Mary and James were working in Emmett’s bedroom. She hurried to see what they had found. “What is it? Have you found something traceable?”

 

                “Oh, yeah! The scanner won’t do the analysis, but the signature looks the same to me as the one Nadia showed me from when she went to get Carmack. Of course, that’s just me making a judgement by eye, and the signature is much stronger here, but… I’d say there’s a really good chance he’s at the same place Carmack was being held.” Mary gave her report with smile. “My recommendation as team leader is that we head back to Torchwood so the men in the lab coats can verify. Then,” her smile broadened, “my boys and I are ready for a field trip, boss.”

 

                Rose didn’t know whether to be elated that they had found something or distraught that he really had been taken. She had held on to a sliver of the thought that maybe he had just taken a morning run or something. But the fact that he hadn’t returned so far had fairly well dashed that hope already. No, now the thing to do was return to Torchwood and prepare a remote camera. They needed to be ready the moment the men in the lab could verify Mary’s opinion. And they needed to be ready to jump and get him out. She nodded at Mary decisively. “Sounds good, Agent Jones. Jake and I are coming with you. When you jump.”

 

                “Yep. Jake mentioned. I completely understand,” Mary’s face softened. “My team won’t let you down Director. We have a perfect field record. We’ll find him.”

 

                “Thanks, Mary. Let’s move.” She began directing everyone back to the SUV parked out front and headed back to Torchwood in her own vehicle.

 

 

 

                Emmett

 

 

                When the door to his cell opened, Emmett saw the strangest being he had ever encountered. He had thought that he had accepted what Torchwood really did, but he was confronted with the difference between knowledge and experience, now. The being’s clothing and gear identified him as a guard, as did the weapon he wore. He was shaped like a human, in every way that Emmett could visually identify, and he was sure that he was a male. But his skin had a faint bluish tone, and his eyes and short cropped hair were an impossible violet. Emmett was quite certain that the color was not artificial and the nervous apprehension he had been feeling escalated to worry bordering on fear. _Alien. Really, completely alien_.

 

                The guard held a dish in one hand full of what appeared to be a mash of some sort. It smelled like oatmeal and Emmett’s stomach growled at the smell. Apparently his fear hadn’t quelled his appetite. The alien spoke then. “This food is for you. We need for you to keep your strength. The head of our project will see you after you have eaten.” The creature spoke perfect English with a distinctly musical tone. He held out the dish and Emmett found himself taking it eagerly. He thought briefly of poison as he picked up the spoon that had been in the dish. But Carmack hadn’t been poisoned, they had said it was the transmat that had scrambled him, so he shoved the thought away and began to eat. If they needed him to ‘keep his strength’ they wouldn’t poison him. The texture was not the same, but it tasted exactly like oatmeal. The guard stood impassively and watched him eat.

 

                After he had finished, the guard took the dish and left it on the floor. He produced restraints from a pocket somewhere and proceeded to bind Emmett’s hands behind his back. When he had finished Emmett tested the binding. It felt like a soft, silken cord but with absolutely no give whatsoever. It fit tightly against the skin of his wrists. He resigned himself to the fact that he would be unlikely to get out of them unaided. Then the guard was taking him by the upper arm and leading him out of the door into a sharply curving hallway. The hall curved around to the right until it appeared to be running back the same direction as his cell and the curve smoothed out. The guard led him at a brisk pace for about twenty minutes during which they both remained silent and the guard’s hand remained on his arm. Dim ambient lighting seemed to come from the nondescript walls. They passed absolutely no other doors as they walked.

 

                The curve of the hallway began to grow sharper again until it began to wrap around in yet another direction. They rounded the sharpest segment and came to a door very similar to the one that had been on his cell. Though he noted there was no deadbolt on this door, just the access keypad. He was trying to be alert to any information that might aid in his escape. The guard positioned him so that he was facing away from the door and typed what sounded like a seven-digit code and a chime sounded. His escort grabbed his arm again and pulled him into the room.

 

                Inside the room was something that looked like a cross between a very high-tech laboratory and a medical infirmary. His heart accelerated as he realized his situation was more extreme than he had previously thought. There was another of the blue aliens inside the room, with eyes and hair of turquoise this time. This one was wearing a single piece black uniform covered by a lab coat and appeared to be female. “Ah, excellent, thank you for bringing Mr. Carver to the lab for me. Please, help me get him on the table and then you are excused.” Her voice held the same musical quality. She turned to address Emmett. “I trust your meal was adequate?”

 

                “Ah, yes, thank you, it was fine. Don’t suppose you could tell me just what I’m doing here?” He was trying to remain calm. Perhaps if he spoke with them they would just let him go? Somehow he doubted it would be that easy.

 

                “Oh, I will be thrilled to tell you all about it. Once we’ve gotten you on the table, that is.”

 

                “I think I’d prefer the explanation first, if it’s all the same to you.”

 

                She tutted. “No, I’m afraid that will not do at all. Gram, please get Mr. Carver on the table, now. I will explain, but you have an issue with your heart, and I want you on the table so I can make a more thorough examination.”

 

                Emmett decided that if he struggled, they would probably simply summon more of themselves and he would find himself on that table anyway. So he said, “No, that’s fine. I have a pacemaker, but if it will get you to explain yourself I’ll let you examine it.” The one she had addressed as Gram released his hands from behind his back and he moved to lie down on what looked to be a typical hospital bed. One of two in the room. As he lay down, Gram moved to his side and restrained his right arm to the bed using straps which were attached to the thing. “Hey, wait that’s really not necessary!”

 

                “Oh, I’m afraid it is Mr. Carver. You see, you are precious and you are in our care. I’ll not have anything untoward happening.” He had been unable to prevent Gram from tying his other arm and both of his ankles to the bed. His heart was now racing as he tried to understand what they could possibly want from him. “Now, I understand that you have a primitive ‘pacemaker’, but it would please my superiors greatly if I could repair the damage to your heart before the match arrives and the project begins in earnest. Our calculations have been unable to determine whether the technology used to keep your heartbeat regular would survive the process. It is my task to ensure that your heart is restored to functional working order, before the prophecy manifests.” Her face had grown fervent near the end of her speech and true dread built in the pit of his stomach.

 

                “What do you mean precious? What ‘match’? Process? _Prophecy?!_ What the hell is going on here? What do you people want with me?!” His calm was completely lost in the face of the woman-alien’s fanaticism.

 

                Her turquoise eyes were now alight with excitement. “You and your match. Touched by time herself, the pair of you! Telepathic in a time when there are no human telepaths. Such power and potential! We will return home in glory!!”

 

                _Rose…_ Emmett closed his eyes and tried to tune out the woman’s ecstatic lunacy. These things wanted him and Rose. For the first time since he had found himself here, he began to hope that she wouldn’t come after him.


	16. Chapter 16

** Chapter 15 **

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                It was just after noon and Rose was pacing the main work area in the Torchwood building while she waited for confirmation on the traces the team had recorded at Emmett’s house. She had already changed into her own field gear, and Jake had a camera nearly ready to go when the science team finished the analysis. She could hear Mary and the rest of her team joking around in the small kitchen, getting into their mission mind-set. She stopped her nervous motions when Marcus Stanley appeared in the elevator, a look of excitement on his face.

 

                Before she could ask him what they had found he spoke. “We’ve got it, Director. Those traces you recorded at the detective’s house match with the ones we found on Carmack perfectly. The point of origin is the same. We’ve calibrated one of the jumpers to send the camera through, and Rothburn is working on getting one ready for each of the team that is going, as well as an extra for the detective for the return trip. You’ll need a total of seven, correct?”

 

                “That’s right. Four for the team, two for Jake and me, and one for the detective. And I want the two of you standing by for our return jump in case there’s a medical emergency. Is Jake ready with that camera?”

 

                “Of course. We will stand by and also monitor the team communication during the mission as well. And the Deputy Director is already in the lab, preparing to send the camera through.”

 

                “Thank you, Marcus,” she told him sincerely. She went to the elevator to join Jake on the lab level.

 

 

 

                Jake and Rose were huddled around the monitor that was receiving the signal from the camera that they had just jumped to the source of the transmat. They had been unsure how strong the signal returning from the camera would be, since they had no idea how far the location was. It appeared, however, as if wherever Carmack had been held, wherever Emmett was being held now, was actually only a short distance away. The image from the camera was clear, and sensors attached indicated a breathable environment. The picture wasn’t however, terribly useful. The camera was sending an image of an empty cell, with a plain cot on one side and something resembling a toilet in one corner. There was nothing else there that they could see. There was a heavy steel door that Rose guessed might be the inside of the one she had seen in her dream that morning.

 

                Jake turned to her. “Okay. We don’t want to jump inside that cell, so I think we should recalibrate the jumpers a bit and try to land just outside of it. No sense having to break out of the thing and alert them to our presence prematurely.”

 

                Rose was relieved that Jake had given up questioning her decision to accompany the team. “Yeah. We’ll still want that cutter Rothburn put together, though. Just because he isn’t in this cell, doesn’t mean he isn’t in a similar one elsewhere. I want to be able to get in, get him, and get out. Minimal confrontation if we can manage. If we can get him out of there before they even know we’ve come, that would be ideal.” She looked up as Jeremiah Rothburn approached from the elevator.

 

                “Director. Deputy Director. Stanley and I had a thought while we were working on the analysis earlier. There has been intelligence that something has been hunting the two of you, correct? I mean the detective and yourself, Director.” Rose nodded impatiently. She didn’t know where the man was headed with this conversation, and she was anxious to gather the team and make the jump. “Well, if that is connected to the detective’s kidnapping, then there is a large risk that simply getting him out will not be sufficient. If they can just grab him from his house, what’s stopping them from grabbing either one of you again? Well, nothing, I’m afraid. So. I’ve been down in the secure levels. I’m working on one of the cells down there. I’m trying to generate a field that will nullify external transmat signals. Unless this mission neutralizes the threat altogether, I’d like to recommend that you and Mr. Carver make that cell your base of operations until the situation is resolved.”

 

                Her instinctive reaction was a visceral negative. He wanted to put her and Emmett in a cell! On the secure levels! But she knew he was right. If everything went to plan, they wouldn’t be doing anything about the threat itself. Their entire objective was to recover Emmett. And they would continue to be in danger. “Does it have to be downstairs? Is there some way you could do that with one of the conference rooms upstairs? You’re right, we’ll still be in danger and your idea sounds brilliant, but… I don’t think Emmett is going to want to go back into a cell, and we don’t need the security of the level, just the field.”

 

                The man hummed in thought. “Yes, I could probably make that work. It will take us a bit longer to get set up there; most of what I need is already downstairs, which is why I suggested that location. I can understand not wanting to be stuck down there, however. If I might make use of a member of the field team it would expedite moving the equipment upstairs.”

 

                Rose thought about it. Jake had been correct that they would likely not need six people for the rescue mission. But the team functioned as a unit and she was loathe to break them up during a mission so close to her heart. She wanted their absolute best. She couldn’t bring herself to stay behind, but there was Jake himself. She looked at him and he was watching her impassively, awaiting her decision. “Right. Jake, why don’t you stay behind and help them? I don’t want to break up the team, and I… I can’t sit this one out.”

 

                He gave her a grim smile. “Be careful Rose. I want you back in one piece, okay? And him, too. We’ll make sure you have a safe haven to come home to, yeah?”

 

                “Thanks, Jake.” She turned back to Rothburn. “He’s all yours.” The three of them all looked up as the elevator door opened and Mary, Sam, James and Brandon all marched out of it. There was an air of coiled excitement around them and a sparkle in Mary’s eyes. Rose remembered that feeling. The feeling that the mission was on and anything could happen. The best field teams thrived on the excitement that came with the job. She wished she could find that excitement now, but she was too terrified of things going wrong. She hadn’t gone on a mission herself since… No. Things were not going to turn out like that today.

 

                “Are we all ready, boss?” Rose looked at Rothburn and he nodded towards a table that had seven of their jumpers spread across it.

 

                “If you’ll give me about ten minutes, I’ll make some final adjustments so you won’t end up in the cell. And who gets the laser cutter?”

 

                “Mary.” While Rothburn went to make adjustments, Rose explained to the team that Jake would be remaining behind. Then they discussed the plan for retreat. If he hadn’t been returned to the cell when they jumped, they would attempt to locate him. If he was behind another one of those doors, they would use the laser cutter Mary now had strapped to her hip, opposite her firearm. The guns were Torchwood special design. They had settings to stun as well as firing traditional bullets. Depending on the thickness of the door, they might also need a pressure gun to open the hole they would make with the cutter. They dispatched Brandon up a level to retrieve one from the equipment lockers. He returned just as Rothburn was passing out the jumpers.

 

                Rose met Jake’s eyes. “You’ll monitor our communications while you move the equipment, yeah?”

 

                His face was serious when he replied. “You know it. Be safe and come home.” He broke out into a grin and added, “Jackie’d probably slap my face off if I let anything happen to you.”

 

                She gave him a tight smile. “Thanks, Jake. For everything.” She turned back to the four excited team members. “Ready?” They nodded eagerly. “Mary, I’ll let you run the show since it’s your team. I’ve got the extra jumper for Emmett,” she noticed Mary and Sam smirk at her use of his first name. “Mary you’ve got the laser and Brandon has the pressure gun. If we are confronted, James and Sam handle the stunning unless they need help. Let’s do this, yeah?” As a unit, the five Torchwood members activated their jumpers and disappeared.

 

 

 

                Jake

 

 

                He sighed and shook his head as Rose and the day team disappeared. He hoped she was ready for this. She hadn’t wanted to return to field work at all. It was part of how they had convinced her to come to Gracepoint. As Director, it was highly unusual for her to participate in a field mission. Not against protocol exactly, and not completely unheard of. Pete himself had been known to join the occasional field mission. It was a rarity, nonetheless. And this situation was so close to home for her…

 

                He and Rothburn moved towards the elevator. They would go downstairs and begin moving the necessary equipment up to one of the larger conference rooms upstairs. As they got to the elevator the doors opened by themselves and there stood Donna. “Jake! Pete’s on the phone. Where’s Rose?”

 

                “She’s gone Donna. I stayed.” He sighed heavily. “I guess I’ll talk to Pete, then. She really owes me for this one. Could you give Rothburn a hand? We’re supposed to move some things upstairs, to prep for the team’s return.”

 

                “Okaaay. Wait. I thought you were both going? You let her go alone?! She lost the Doctor on a field mission, Emmett has been taken and you didn’t go with her?!!” Donna’s voice had gained in volume through this statement.

 

                “Donna. It was her call. If they get him out without a fuss, the two of them are still at risk. We need a way to keep them from being snatched up again. Rothburn is working on that, but he needs a grunt. So I stayed. Now, are you going to help or just stand there gaping?”

 

                Donna closed her mouth. She looked like she had been preparing another rant; Jake’s explanation had given her pause. “Fine. You talk to Pete, because I am not explaining Emmett Carver to him, and I’ll help the lab rat here.”

 

 

 

                Emmett

 

 

                He found himself swimming back towards consciousness. Not very long after he had realized he was in the hands of some sort of alien religious zealots, who wanted something from him and Rose, the woman-alien had given him some injection and he had gone under hard. As he came back to himself he tried to shift his arms and legs and noticed he was still strapped down. There was a slight ache coming from his chest and he felt a bolt of panic. _Shit! My pacemaker!_

 

He struggled to blink his eyes open in the eerily silent room. He seemed to be alone for the moment. His eyes slowly came into focus and he tried to look down at himself. His shirt hung open and on his chest, where the evidence of his pacemaker had been before, was a slightly shiny, completely smooth patch of scar tissue. There was no indication of cutting or stitches. He felt his panic recede a little as he began to wonder what had been done to him. He was attempting to peer around the room as well as he could while strapped to a bed, when the door opened, and the same female alien from before entered.

 

“Ah, Mr. Carver, you’re awake, excellent. The procedure was a complete success. You no longer have any need for that primitive electronic device. In just a moment I will summon Gram and have him escort you back. A meal will be sent to you as well. Things are very exciting around here Mr. Carver,” she continued with enthusiasm. “We expect to acquire your match in less than a week’s time. Then, oh, then… Time’s power will fill the mindstone again! Oh, to see the prophecy fulfilled at last!” She gazed at him, and he was reminded of the enthusiasm one might give the return of a long lost love. “We’ve been away from our home for so long now. To return with the proof of our righteousness!” Her eyes closed in what he could only describe as ecstasy.

 

His mind was racing as he tried to piece together what she had told him. These aliens wanted him and Rose. For the fulfillment of some prophecy. She had said before that they were both touched by time. _What does that mean?_ His mind jumped to the story Rose had told him about how she had made herself telepathic. She had connected in some way with a _sentient **time**_ ship. Okay, so Rose was clearly touched by time, but not him. Telepathic, apparently, but he had nothing to do with time travel. _‘Time’s power will fill the mindstone again.’_ They wanted to take some kind of time power from them _(right…)_ and use it to fuel something.

 

He broke from his thoughts when the door opened and the one called Gram entered. The guard moved to the side of the bed Emmett was on and began releasing him from the straps. He briefly contemplated running for it when he was free, but discarded the thought. He had no idea where he was, no idea of the layout of the building they were in, and he hadn’t seen any doors in the place aside from his cell and this lab. He eased himself off of the table, surprised when the ache in his chest became less as he stood, instead of worse. Gram seized his arms and once again bound his hands behind his back with the restraints he had used previously. The guard offered the woman a salute and then Emmett was being escorted back in the direction he had associated with his cell.

 

 

 

Rose

 

 

When Rose and her field team jumped, they found themselves in an empty hallway facing the same heavy door Rose had seen in her dream just that morning. Instead of the green haze, there was dim light from the walls themselves. They frantically verified that they hadn’t been seen while reeling from the nausea and dizziness brought on by the jump. This was why the jumpers were more often used for sensing equipment rather than humans. It was, in fact, a miserable way to travel. But, useful in emergencies like this. Fortunately the effects were short-lived, so they were ready for action in two minutes. Rose approached the door just as she had in her dream and called, “Emmett? Are you here?” Silence was her response so she sighed and turned back to the waiting team. She nodded at Mary to take charge.

 

The experienced team leader wasted no time, using hand signals to instruct her team. They nodded at her and looked back at Rose before turning and following the sharp curve in the hallway to the right. Rose steeled herself and followed the team down the hallway. She was going to get him back.


	17. Chapter 17

** Chapter 16 **

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                Rose and her team walked silently down the curving hall. After about five minutes they heard the sounds of approaching footsteps in front of them. They couldn’t see whomever was coming thanks to the curve, but this meant that they also hadn’t yet been seen. As one, the five pressed themselves against the wall, and waited. Sam and James pulled their weapons, and Rose prepared herself to do the same if necessary. Less than a minute after first noticing the steps, two people became visible around the curve in the hallway. Well, one of them was clearly not human, but the other, the one being led with his arms behind his back, was. It was him. _Emmett._ He was alright. His shirt hung unbuttoned around him, but he was walking, so he was okay.

 

                Time seemed to freeze for an instant as the seven beings in the hallway saw each other. Then things began to happen very quickly. Sam and James raised their weapons as the alien escorting Emmett pushed him aside and reached for his own. Emmett stumbled to the side when the alien released him roughly and slammed against the wall, sitting down hard with a grunt. Mary’s voice rang out, “Stop! Give us Detective Carver and we’ll leave in peace!” The alien raised his own weapon.

 

                “You shall not have him! He is ours!” Rose saw Sam brace himself to fire a stunning round and the alien with the violet hair shift his aim towards herself. She saw a bright white discharge from the end of the alien weapon and saw Sam fire his weapon as well. _This can’t be happening_ , she thought an instant before the bolt of white hit her square in the chest and everything went black.

 

 

 

                Emmett

 

 

                His thoughts were filled with worry as he allowed Gram to lead him back towards the cell he had been kept in the previous night. He was worried for himself, and he was worried for Rose. They were planning to capture her as well and once they did… He was very certain that he did not want these aliens to succeed with whatever it was that they wanted them for. It couldn’t mean anything good for Rose or himself.

 

                He was pulled from his dark musings as a group of people he recognized became visible around the bend in the hallway. Both he and the guard froze for a moment. Then, all hell broke loose. His escort shoved him aside and he was unable to stop himself from colliding with the wall and falling down. The strange new scar in his chest gave another slight twinge and he grunted. He heard Mary shouting for the alien to stop and saw the guard take aim at Rose. _No. Not Rose._ But he was helpless to do anything. Two of the Torchwood team members had their own weapons trained on the guard. Almost simultaneously, Gram and Sam fired their weapons. He heard the alien who had been his escort in this place fall to the ground, but his mind was consumed with the sight of Rose. The white blast that had come from the alien weapon had struck her squarely in the chest and she had collapsed. “Rose!” The cry tore hoarsely from his throat. His head was filled with a litany of _no, no, no, not her, not her, save her, save her save HER!!!_

 

                He was dimly aware that James and Sam were doing something with the being that Sam had stunned, as he scrabbled awkwardly back to his feet and rushed over to Rose. Mary was kneeling over her and Brandon was standing over them with worry painting his features. He fell back to his knees next to Mary when he got close to her. His breath caught at the sight of her. There was an ugly burn marring the front of her field uniform and her skin was waxy pale. “No. Rose, no, please.” His vision blurred as he looked at her, unable to stop the tears. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Mary looking at him with compassion.

 

                “She’s alive, but we need to get her back NOW. We’ve got some great stuff for burns at Torchwood, but we can’t delay. There could be major damage we can’t see.” She reached across and pulled something off of the ground near Rose. She held up something that looked like a yellow button on a plain chain. “This is your jumper. Activate yours and hers at the same time and it’ll take you both to Torchwood. Jake and the lab rats have been monitoring the comm, so they’ll be ready. The four of us will return when we’ve dealt with your friend over there, okay?” He nodded at her numbly and gestured with his head over his shoulder to indicate his bound hands. “Right. Hard to push a button like that, I imagine. Here let me just… Not what this was meant for, but I suppose it’ll do.” She did something to his restraints and his hands were free. She handed him the button and he returned to looking at Rose. Precious Rose. She’d come into his life like a force of nature. Taught him things about himself. Taken all of his preconceived notions about life and turned them upside down. Now, she might be dying and he hadn’t told her. With a shuddering sob, he pushed both buttons at once and disappeared.

 

 

 

 

                Emmett sat by himself in the recently rearranged conference room on the second floor of the Torchwood building. Most of the chairs had been removed and the table that normally sat in the center of the room had been shoved into a far corner. In another corner was a mass of computer equipment that was generating a faint, but irritating hum. There were two cots placed along one wall. He was nursing a coffee that Donna had brought him after he had been banished from the infirmary for the duration of Rose’s surgery. Apparently, he and Rose were to live in this room until the threat of being randomly snatched could be dealt with. He snorted. _Still a prisoner I guess._

 

                He had jumped back to Torchwood with Rose in his arms, oblivious to the accompanying disorientation. Jake and the two scientists had swarmed the pair of them, Jake scooping Rose up and rushing to get her to the infirmary. He had tried to follow them in, but Jake had been firm. He wasn’t any kind of doctor and he couldn’t do anything for her now. Then he had explained about the damping field the scientists had rigged in this conference room and had sent him here to wait. He had managed to get his tears under control by the time Donna had brought him the coffee. Donna had also told him that Pete and Jackie Tyler were going to come in from London. Of course. Pete was the head of all of Torchwood. When he saw that his step-daughter’s missing police liaison was a look-alike for his dead son-in-law, he and his wife had probably assumed that Rose was unstable. They were expected in Gracepoint around six the following evening. He was aware that these were not ideal circumstances for meeting her parents. They couldn’t possibly be aware of the unprecedented telepathic connection between them. And she was fighting for her life, now, and he was to blame. It had happened during a mission to rescue him. They would surely blame him, and likely accuse him of taking advantage of her grief.

 

                He looked up when Jake stuck his head in the room. “They’re done working on her. She’s going to be okay. You won’t even be able to tell she was burned. It was a massive electrical jolt though, apparently. We aren’t sure how long it might take her to wake up.” Simmonds wore a small smile and his eyes were red-rimmed. “She’s a fighter though, our Rose. We’re going to wheel the hospital bed in here, now. We want her inside this field as soon as possible. Try to get some rest, you look exhausted. Oh, and don’t worry about Jackie,” he continued with forced joviality. “Just be prepared for the slapping. And the rest of the team brought a friend back with them. We’re holding him on the bottom level in the most secure cell we have. We’ll probably put off questioning him until tomorrow, though since I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day, don’t you?”

 

 

 

 

                His body slid sideways in the chair as he dozed until he sat upright with a jerk, blinking his eyes open. He looked at his watch and saw it was nearing three in the morning. Rose still hadn’t woken. It had been late afternoon when they had wheeled her into their new makeshift living quarters. His eyes had filled again at the sight of her, so still. She was breathing on her own, though, and less pale than she had been on their return. Donna had brought him a take-out hamburger for dinner and then she, Jake and the two science officers who had taken care of Rose’s injury had left for the day. Donna had promised to bring him a change of clothes when she returned in the morning. The night team was downstairs in their usual place in the main office area. He was to call for them if he needed anything. Jake had specified before leaving that he wasn’t to leave the conference room under _any circumstances_. It was fortunate there was an adjoining restroom and that they had thought to include it in the field’s range.

 

                After he and Rose were left alone he had placed one of the remaining three chairs in the room next to her bed and taken up her hand. He had tried reaching out to her but there was nothing there. It was as if he had imagined the entire series of telepathic episodes. He was more than a little terrified that whatever that weapon had done had damaged her telepathic abilities. Not that he wouldn’t still love her. He couldn’t imagine _not_ loving this woman ever again. But he would miss the thing that had truly brought them to each other if it were gone. He was also worried about why she hadn’t yet woken. _Please, Rose. Please come back to me. I need you. I love you._ He didn’t notice that tears were once again running down his cheeks.

 

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                Rose opened her eyes to find herself in a large round empty room. Well, almost empty. On the other side of the room, seated cross legged on the ground and looking at her was… herself. This startled Rose fully awake as she looked at herself across the room.

 

                “Who are you, then? You can’t be… me. So what are you?”

 

                “Clever as always, I see. You are right, in a way. I am you and I am not you. I am… an echo of sorts. A pre-recorded message if you will.”

 

                “Wait… What does that mean, exactly?” Rose approached her apparent twin and looked into the woman’s eyes. They were gold. The woman offered her a feral grin. Rose gasped as realization clicked into place. “Bad Wolf. You’re… Bad Wolf.”

 

                “Very good. Actually, I’m not even really Bad Wolf. I’m more of a message you left for yourself. So you could understand some of the decisions you made in that moment when you held the universes in your mind. Something a bit like Emergency Program One. Would you like to hear the story of Bad Wolf, and how Rose Tyler and Emmet Carver came to be matched?”

 

                “You’re a message. From me to myself. Okay, let’s hear it.”

 

                “Excellent. Once upon a time there was a girl. A most extraordinary girl, though she thought herself quite ordinary. The girl fell in love with a man. Well, the man wasn’t quite a man, but he was a man to the girl and she loved him. He was a very lonely man. The girl ached to heal his loneliness but there were obstacles. She was unsure of his feelings for her. She felt unworthy of him, while he saw himself as a battle-scarred soldier, unworthy of anyone. He was very old and she was very young. He was nearly immortal and she was human. She knew that even if she were to tell him how she felt, her life would be just a blink of an eye to him, and he would be lonely once again when she was gone.

 

 

                There came a time when both were in mortal danger. He sent her away to save her and she returned to save him. And in that moment she saw all that was, and all that ever could be. She saw she could not give the man that was not a man his forever. But she saw other things as well. She saw a pair of fixed points in time. She saw the most important woman in the universe and the birth of an anomaly. She saw also the death of the anomaly and knew that she could give _him_ great happiness in the short life that he would have. And she saw still more.

 

                She saw one who would come after. Another man filled with loneliness. A man whose heart had been broken, both figuratively and literally. She saw he was a good man, a man who worked for justice and deserved joy. She saw her own great loneliness after the loss of the one she chose. And she changed that man. She changed him like she changed herself. She made herself a match.

 

                Return to him. You are made for each other. He waits for you anxiously.”

 

                Rose looked around her and noticed the room she was in, her mirror image, even her own body was starting to fade. “Wait! If I changed him… He didn’t have a choice! I did this to him. If I hadn’t they wouldn’t have even looked twice at him. It’s my fault…” she could hear her voice fading to nothing as she was once again washed away in darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone interested in a few bits of trivia about this story: The last section of this chapter was the first part of this story that came to me. It came almost fully formed. Also, the title is a slight nod to Robert Heinlein's Lazarus Long books, which are rife with wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff of their own.  
> PD


	18. Chapter 18

** Chapter 17 **

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                Rose’s eyes fluttered open to an unfamiliar sight. There was an ache in her chest and a sharp pain in her head. She squinted her eyes against the dim light in the room she found herself in. She was in one of the conference rooms at Torchwood. Along with this realization she noticed that something had her hand. With great effort she turned her head and saw Emmett. He was sleeping in a chair next to the bed she was in ( _from the infirmary_ , she noted). Even in his sleep he gripped her hand. Along with the relief that he was okay and they had gotten him back came the memory of her strange dream. Or not-dream. _Oh God. I did this to him. I took away his choice. He’ll never forgive me._

 

                A wave of overwhelming sadness passed through her. She would have to tell him. It was her fault he had been pulled into this. She gathered her strength and squeezed the hand holding hers. Emmett’s eyes opened wide immediately. When he focused on her face he broke out into a smile. “Hey. You’re awake,” he said in a voice thick with sleep.

 

                “Yeah,” she rasped and paused to clear her throat. “Is there… Is there any water?”

 

                “Right.” He stood up and crossed to the table that was pushed into the corner of the room and came back to hand her a cup of water. He grabbed the hand that didn’t have the cup. “I was so worried. They said you would be alright, but you slept for so long…” he trailed off. “Rose. I…” He couldn’t seem to tear his eyes from her face as she sipped the water. Inside, Rose was weeping in anticipation of his reaction to what she had learned. She handed the cup back to him, when she felt her throat was clear enough to speak to him properly. She watched as he set the cup aside and looked at her again. There was love in his eyes, and her heart broke because she knew he wouldn’t feel the same once he learned what she had done to him.

 

                She took a deep breath. “Emmett. You… you look like you have something to say, but I have some things that I need to tell you.” A look of confusion crossed his face, so she tried to explain herself better. “Remember when I told you about the Doctor? About how I came to be telepathic in the first place?” His face cleared and he nodded. “Well. It seems like I might have done more than that.” She sighed. This was so hard to tell him. “I… apparently I left myself a telepathic message to explain things to myself…” She had to look away from his face. She couldn’t watch the emotion there change from love to contempt. “I didn’t just change me. I changed you, too. I _made you telepathic_. It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. I saw all of time and space, the entire multiverse. I saw my husband and that I would lose him. And I saw you and I changed you so I wouldn’t be alone after he was gone. You wouldn’t be in danger, you wouldn’t have been taken, and you wouldn’t have the burden of learning to shield yourself telepathically, none of it, if I hadn’t decided I was an all-powerful being with the right to do that to you.” She blinked away the tears that had formed as she had tried to explain what she had done. “You should hate me,” she whispered finally.

 

                “Rose.” His voice was soft and warm, and her breathing hitched. How could he still sound that way after what she had told him? She couldn’t bear to hope and kept her gaze directed to the side opposite him as she responded.

 

                “I’m sorry, Emmett. I’m _so_ sorry.”

 

                “Rose.” He tugged lightly on her hand, so she gave in and looked back at him. He was still gazing at her lovingly and her mind stalled. _He can’t still… Can he?_ “You think I’m upset. But I’m not. If… If I’m understanding what you’re saying, it means… Out of all of the men in all of time and space, in all of those parallel universes… You chose me. Me?! Rose Tyler, the most amazing woman in any universe, chose me, Emmett Carver, ‘worst cop in California’, as her partner? And gave me the means to share this magnificent connection with her? That is… humbling. Rose, I…” He paused and swallowed. Relief and love washed over her in a wave and her tears were falling unchecked now. He wasn’t angry, he wasn’t even upset with her. He reached out with both hands and cupped her cheeks, brushing at her tears with his thumbs. “I could _never_ hate you. I love you, Rose Tyler. I would be _honored_ to have a bond with you; I _am_ honored that you would give me such a gift as to make it possible.”

 

                “Emmett.” She threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder. “I love you, too. I was so scared when I figured out you were gone, and then when I realized what I had done to you, I… I just knew you would hate me.” She pulled back to look in his eyes and smiled at him through her tears. He smiled back at her and leaned in to kiss her. It was gentle and full of love. It was cool, sweet water when she had been dying of thirst. He pulled back and she couldn’t help the beaming smile that crossed her face. “Yes. I do want the bond. But, my head is still a bit sore, I think I’d like to recover first, okay?”

 

                He beamed at her. “I’d wait for you forever.” Then a slightly wary look crossed his face. “Ah. Donna tells me your parents will be here tomorrow evening. I, well I haven’t slept much tonight, I might go ahead and lay down, now that I know you’re really okay… I’m fairly certain I’d like to have my wits about me before I meet them.”

 

“Oh.” She grimaced a bit. “I suppose I should have expected that. What time is it now anyway?”

 

“Just after four,” he said after consulting his watch.

 

“Yeah, you should get some rest. I’ll probably go back to sleep, too. I can’t face Mum without a functional brain, either. Do you…” She moved to pull herself to a standing position and wobbled slightly. Emmett shot to his feet and steadied her with a hand on her waist. “Thanks.”

 

“What are you doing?! You nearly died this afternoon! Lay back down.”

 

“I will. But…” She felt shy suddenly. She knew she shouldn’t be. She’d just told him she loved him, after all. “Do you think we could push the cots together? I… I was afraid I’d never see you again, and then I was afraid you were going to hate me and I…”

 

“I like that idea. Just, sit back on the bed while I do that, okay?” He kissed her forehead and she leaned back against the infirmary bed she had woken in. She watched as he arranged the cots that had been left for them next to each other, instead of end to end. He had forgiven her; he loved her. He wanted to bond with her. There were still kidnapping aliens to deal with, and she had to explain their relationship to her parents, but… Her heart swelled as he came back to help her to the cots. She found she really didn’t care what her mum and Pete thought. They would just have to accept him. They couldn’t truly lay next to each other, even with the cots pushed together, but they held hands as they both fell into an exhausted slumber.

 

 

 

Emmett

 

 

Emmett’s vision was grainy and his head felt full of cotton as he woke the following morning. He was still exhausted from the events of the past… what thirty-six hours? _Is it really only Wednesday?_ There was a hushed discussion taking place somewhere in the room. He lifted his head with some difficulty and saw that it was Rose and Jake speaking to each other quietly. Jake’s eyes flicked to Emmett where he was sitting up in the cot and Rose turned to look at him. “Emmett! I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to wake you. It’s about ten now. Jake was just telling me what they learned from the guard the team brought back yesterday. Seems Nadia got bored overnight and had a chat with him. If you want to get some more sleep, I can tell you about it later, yeah?”

 

He shook his head to clear it, rather than in response to her statement. “Nah. Just need some coffee, and I’ll be fine. I’d really like to know what you learned. The woman who worked on me said some rather disturbing things and I don’t want to be stuck in this room any longer than necessary.”

 

Rose and Jake exchanged a look before she said, “What do you mean ‘worked on you’?” She looked back at Jake again. “What is he talking about, Jake? Did you guys not check him out when we got back?!”

 

“Whoa! Rose, you were in bad shape when you got here. We were preoccupied with fixing a giant bloody burnt hole in your chest. I’m sorry, yeah, we forgot to check him. He seemed fine and he didn’t say anything at all about this. We were all too worried about you.”

 

She looked at Emmett. “And you didn’t say anything earlier? What happened?” She looked really worried so he hurried to reassure her as well as he could under the circumstances. Considering he didn’t actually know what had been done.

 

“I, well, I don’t know exactly. I was kept in a cell all night, then I was brought to a sort of a lab, I guess. They strapped me to a table, and she spouted some really crazy stuff about a prophecy, then she knocked me out. When I woke up, well, I think my pacemaker is gone. Was on the way back to the cell from that when we ran into you.” He moved to unbutton his shirt. The same one he had been wearing Monday he remembered with a grimace. He hoped Donna had remembered to bring him some other clothes.

 

“What do you mean gone! Emmett…”

 

“Here. I’ll show you. She said something about fixing my heart, because they didn’t think my pacemaker would survive whatever process they had planned for you and I.” He had continued unbuttoning his shirt and pushed it open so they could see the strange new patch of skin on his chest. For the first time he spared a moment to wonder what had become of the undershirt he had been wearing, but decided it really wasn’t important. Rose reached out and tentatively stroked the spot and he shivered.

 

“I’m sorry. I’ll have Stanley take a look at this today.”

 

“No. It actually doesn’t hurt at all. It’s…very strange. And I didn’t say anything before because it didn’t seem as important as other things. Now, can you tell me what you learned from my blue friend down there?” She looked in his eyes and seemed to be searching for something. Perhaps wondering if he was downplaying discomfort of some sort. Then she nodded.

 

“Okay. Jake would you bring Emmett some coffee, or ask Donna?” Simmonds looked between the two of them before nodding and leaving them alone. “I still want that looked at by one of the lab rats later.” Her voice left no room for argument, so he nodded. “Nadia said he was falling all over himself to explain when she mentioned my name. Apparently he panicked and didn’t mean to fire at all. He didn’t know who I was. It seems the others in his group will be upset with him for… damaging me.” She made a face before she continued. “They call themselves the Voitar and they’re a splinter religious group. They were exiled from their home planet almost two hundred years ago. Our friend Gram says that his people were telepaths thousands of years ago, but the skill faded from their genetics over time. They had legends that one of their religious relics would return the ability to them as a race. Around three hundred years ago a leader of one of their fringe groups made a ‘prophecy’,” her tone indicated disdain for the word. “About you and I. A smaller subset of the fringe group decided that that prophecy was tied to their legends about the return of telepathy and… Hello religious cult based around you and me. Which was such an absurd concept that the majority of the people kicked them out. He said they’ve been waiting here, on Earth for almost a hundred and fifty years. So, yeah. That about covers this morning’s craziness…”

 

“Wait… How could there be a prophecy about _us_ three hundred years ago?”

 

She grinned at him and rolled her eyes. “Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, Emmett. I had the time vortex in my head. I sent Bad Wolf messages all through time and space, I reached across _the void_ to tweak your genetics… “

 

“Right… How could I possibly question the goddess of time?” He couldn’t help it. He grinned back at her. “So what are we going to do? How many of them are there? And what do I need to know about your parents before they arrive? Jake said something about slapping… They’re going to hate me aren’t they?” His face fell a bit at the thought.

 

“I don’t care if they do. But they won’t. They sent me here so I could heal. You are the reason I’ve actually done so. They’ll be thrilled. After the shock wears off, that is. And according to Gram, there are only about two dozen of them. They’re a long-lived race, and it’s really a tiny sect. There are two teams flying in from New York, and Pete dispatched another team from London as well. They’re planning a major mission to sweep them up and I’ve been instructed, in no uncertain terms, that you and I are not to be involved. We are to stay in this room until the situation has been neutralized. Direct orders from Pete.” They were interrupted then as Donna came in.

 

“Rose! I’m so glad to see you awake!” She rushed over to Rose, dropping the bundle of cloth she had been clutching to the ground. _I guess those are my clothes_ , Emmett thought. _And she didn’t bring coffee_. Donna pulled back from embracing Rose and jerked her thumb at him, where he had crouched to retrieve the clothing she had dropped. “This one was beside himself yesterday.”

 

 

 

It was half past six and Emmett was pacing in the conference room. Pete and Jackie Tyler were due to arrive any minute. Rose had made an attempt at calming him earlier, but her own nerves had limited the effectiveness of the gesture. Now she was sitting on one of the cots cross-legged, picking at her fingernails. He wondered if he should move the cots back to their original placement. He discarded the thought. There were going to be much more complicated issues at this meeting than the possibility that they had slept next to each other. He spun around when he heard the door opening. Coming in through the conference room door was a man in a suit with thinning, reddish-blonde hair and a blonde woman in a pink tracksuit. Rose jumped to her feet and hurried towards them “Mum!”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little Jackie Tyler for Mother's Day (here in the US). Also, I'm very sorry.

** Chapter 18 **

 

 

Emmett

 

 

The blonde woman, Jackie Tyler, embraced Rose with great enthusiasm, while Pete Tyler watched them both with a fond smile. “Oh, Rose, I’ve missed you so much! You haven’t called once since the first night you got here.” Jackie pulled back from the embrace and kissed Rose on the cheek. “Now, tell me about this crisis you’re having that’s dragged your dad across the bleedin’ globe and me along with him.” Emmett cleared his throat nervously. He was feeling rather intimidated by this enthusiastic woman. The three Tylers all looked at him. Rose apologetically, Jackie and Pete as if they had just noticed him. Which, they probably had.

 

Rose turned back to her parents and said, “Mum, Dad, I’d like you to meet Detective Emmett Carver. He’s our police liaison. He’s the one who was kidnapped. I was injured on the rescue mission, but I’m fine now. According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, he and I are both targets. Emmett, this is my mum, Jackie Tyler, and my dad, Pete Tyler.” Pete simply watched him, with an expression Emmett thought might be hiding a smile, but he didn’t know the man well enough to be sure he wasn’t contemplating locking him down in the secure levels. Jackie, on the other hand, marched right up to him and peered at his face closely.

 

“You really weren’t kidding, Pete,” she said. “That is eerie, that is.” Then she addressed Emmett himself. “You look just like him, you know. Did she tell you? That’s right unexpected.”

 

“Ah, yes, pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Tyler. If you’re referring to your late son-in-law, then yes, I am aware of our… resemblance. I was aware before I started work here. It was never my intention to cause your daughter grief. Not at all. In fact, I offered to step aside if my presence were too painful for her.” He looked over her at Pete. “A pleasure, Mr. Tyler.”

 

“Resemblance? You could be his bloody twin. Only Rose could find his twin. Wait, are you an alien? Or are you human?”

 

“You knew?!” Rose was staring at Pete as if he had sprouted a second head. “You knew he was here?!”

 

“I didn’t know he was here when I sent you. But, you don’t think I looked at the file on the police liaison assigned to partner with my daughter? Come on, Rose, you know better than that. When I saw his file, and you didn’t call about it, I assumed that you were okay. I hoped you were better than okay. But I didn’t expect you to get caught up in a kidnapping plot with him.”

 

Emmett answered Jackie, “I’m not alien. I’m definitely human.”

 

“Mum! Did you know?”

 

“Your dad told me a few days ago.”

 

“And… You’re not upset? Or think I’m unstable? Jake did at first.”

 

“Rose… I love you and I want you to be happy. You were standing still in London, and that’s not who you are. Hasn’t been for a long time, now. Your dad and I… Well, I think we might be the only people in this world who understand completely. Remember, I’m not his first Jackie, and he’s not my first Pete, after all.” Emmett noted that piece of information with the intention of asking Rose about it later. He suspected it would have something to do with parallel worlds and he hadn’t yet managed to settle that concept in his mind. He didn’t doubt her any longer, but he hadn’t really had time to dwell on that part of things, with all of the other excitement.

 

“Good.” Rose moved to his side and took his hand. “Because I love him.”

 

 

 

 

                Emmett lay on one of the cots in the Torchwood conference room to which he was currently confined. Pete Tyler had left about an hour after he and his wife had arrived. He was personally coordinating the mission that night. Rose and Jackie sat in two of the chairs over by the table, drinking tea and talking quietly. He was trying to sleep. He was still exhausted, though relieved that meeting Rose’s parents had been far less problematic than he had expected. Jackie had even hugged him at one point and whispered what had sounded like a heart-felt thank you. But he’d found he couldn’t shut his mind down enough to sleep. Pieces of the conversation going on across the room faded in and out of his focus. They appeared to be discussing Rose’s younger brother, Tony Tyler, who had been disappointed to be left in London. Jackie had promised him a visit during the summer to appease him.

 

                His early morning conversation with Rose, along with the things the captive guard had revealed circled around in his head as he tried to put the pieces together. The aliens were religious zealots. Their society had exiled them. That meant that even if Torchwood captured them, and had the means to contact their home planet, they wouldn’t be welcome to return. _What are they going to do with them_? Pete had sounded confident and determined when he had briefly spoken of the mission. So Emmett had to conclude that there was some sort of plan in place.

 

                Rose had been distraught when she had woken early that morning. His relief at seeing her awake had allowed him to set the revelations aside for the moment. It was entirely true that he didn’t care if she was the reason he had telepathy in the first place. It was a gift she had given him. Without it, he was sure it would have taken him much longer to trust her feelings, or his own. His suspicious nature had no purchase in the wake of their connection. And it shed light on the things the alien scientist had said about the both of them being touched by time. _Rose_ had touched him, while she herself touched time. She had touched him _from another universe_ , in fact. For some reason he couldn’t quite grasp, she had chosen a life for herself where she lost her husband and then came to him. Why wouldn’t she have saved him? Or stayed with the other? The truly alien one. He didn’t have any answers to those questions, but the only emotional response he could find was gratitude.

 

                He was rolling over in the cot to face the wall, when he heard the door open. Jake stuck his head in the door and spoke. “The London team finally got here. We’re going to meet downstairs for a final briefing, then we’re going to jump. Pete’s going to run the show from the lab level. We’ll try to grab as many of the Voitar as we can. I’ll let you know as soon as I jump back, okay?”

 

                Rose answered him. “Thanks, Jake. Good luck. I’m really looking forward to going home and having a shower, yeah?”

 

 

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                She sat quietly at the table in the conference room. Emmett had finally dropped back off to sleep after her mother had left. Jackie would sleep at Rose’s cottage, as would Pete if he managed to get any sleep that night. It had been quite a shock to discover Pete had known of Emmett’s existence almost as long as she herself had. He had simply allowed her to handle it. Her mother’s reaction had been even more surprising. Jackie hadn’t even tried to slap him. She had taken Rose’s declaration of feelings for him as a matter of course. She’d watched in bemusement when her mother had seized him in a hug and thanked him. Emmett hadn’t seemed to know what to make of that.

 

                She knew she was going to have to explain her mother’s comment about not being each other’s firsts to him, but she wasn’t in a hurry to bring up yet another potentially contentious subject. He hadn’t approached the topic of parallel universes since he had told her he was setting that aside temporarily. That had been before that first demonstration. Before he had kissed her the first time. She knew, though, that the detective in him would get around to his questions eventually and her mother’s statement would probably remind him of those thoughts sooner, rather than later. He had been so amazing about everything. Understanding, and accepting; supporting _her_ when she should have been supporting _him_ through the crazy ordeal. Instead of being disgusted with her, for all but painting a target on his back for her own selfish reasons, he had declared his own love. She could only hope her explanation about her parents’ cross-dimensional relationship would be met with the same acceptance he had given her so far.

 

                Then there was the matter of his heart. While he had been captive, the Voitar had used some of their technology to repair his heart and remove his pacemaker. As far as they could tell. Stanley and Rothburn had had their hands full getting equipment ready for the mass mission today, so there hadn’t been time for one of them to examine Emmett, yet. Thinking she would insist that they make time tomorrow, she decide to join him on the cots. Jake would wake her when the teams returned if she managed to fall asleep. She lay down and took his hand. He had been on his back, but he turned his body slightly towards her at the contact, though he didn’t seem to wake. She smiled as she closed her eyes and tried to find rest before whatever would come next.

 

 

 

 

                Jake

 

 

                Jake Simmonds was worried. He was worried, because, so far, this mission had gone off without the slightest hitch. He had sixteen highly trained Torchwood field agents under his command, very nearly an unprecedented number. There were eight from New York, four from London, and Nadia’s team from their own branch. His continued guilt over what had happened to the Doctor, as well as new guilt over what had happened to Rose just yesterday, had led him to insist to Pete that he be given field command here. They seventeen agents had jumped to the same location Rose and Mary’s team had jumped to for Emmett’s rescue. They had found two Voitar guards outfitted identically to the one they had captured previously, and had wasted no time stunning the pair, in spite of the jump-sickness.

 

                After waiting for the stun to wear off enough that they could get answers, the pair of guards had led them in rounding up the rest of their people. That was the worrying part. All of the Voitar they had encountered so far had been non-combative, almost docile. He had never seen anyone so eager to be captured. He had shared his concerns with Pete on the communication channel, and they had decided to leave one team behind. Nadia had insisted that her team would get that assignment. This strange bunker had miles and miles of curving hallways. If there were any Voitar they hadn’t gathered, they hoped the remaining team would be able to locate them and prevent them from using their transmat to kidnap Rose or Emmett again. Or, better yet, dismantle the transmat. The jumpers were set to take them back directly to the lower secure level, where Pete and the lab rats were waiting to assist. If there were no complications, Pete intended to transport all of the blue cultists to Torchwood One. The facility there was far more secure than the new building in Gracepoint, and Pete wanted the threat as far from Rose as possible.

 

                They had found twenty-seven Voitar in total. Now, the thirteen agents who were returning to Torchwood were about to activate the chain of modified jumpers the science team had spent the day preparing for the mission. They gathered the captive aliens into a tight group and stretched the chain around them. The thirteen agents, Jake included, were arranged around the Voitar in a circle. Jake looked over at Nadia, where she and her team stood off to the side watching them prepare to depart. “Good luck. Be careful.”

 

                She grinned at him. “You know it.”

 

                Jake looked back at the three teams he was taking back and gave the signal. Twenty seven Voitar and thirteen human Torchwood agents disappeared. Jake failed to notice the smug smile on the face of a single female Voitar scientist, or the blue pendant around her neck that she had reached up to fondle.

 

 

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                Rose and Emmett lay on their backs holding hands on a picnic blanket, looking up at the afternoon sky. They were lazily watching the clouds, and trading occasional kisses. In both of their heads, a complicated swirl of gold and green spun in a dance of thought and emotion shared. Rose couldn’t recall ever feeling so content, even in the brief period of peace she had had with her first husband. Emmett rolled to face her with a grin as he caught the numeration in her thought. “Your _first_ husband, huh? Does that imply an intention to take another husband soon, Ms. Tyler?”

 

                Rose felt a flash of guilt for comparing the two mentally, even though she could tell he hadn’t been bothered by it. Quite the contrary, he leaned down and kissed her thoroughly. She apologized anyway. Mentally, since she didn’t have the breath for actual words on the heels of his kiss. _I’m sorry. I don’t mean to compare you. I only meant-_

 

                _I know what you meant. And I don’t expect you to never think of him. I love you and he… Well, without both of them, we wouldn’t be able to share this. And this…_ He kissed her again, even more enthusiastically. The electricity passing between them was setting her on fire. And that, that was something entirely Emmett. That had never happened with any version of the Doctor, before or after the bond. He rolled further, until he was settled between her legs, continuing to assault her mouth with his. His hair, with none of the product that the Doctor had preferred, was _so soft._ She moaned into his mouth as her mind was flooded with _love_ , and _Emmett_ , and _yes, please_ …

 

                The heat passing between them changed in the blink of an eye. It shifted from the heat of passion to the flames of excruciating agony in an instant, and they broke their kiss to scream together.

 

 

 

 

                Jake

 

 

                Jake, his twelve agents and the twenty-seven Voitar appeared in a flash on the lowest level of Torchwood Gracepoint. They had jumped inside the largest cell in the building. Pete Tyler, Marcus Stanley, and Jeremiah Rothburn leapt into action, helping the agents exit the cell without allowing any of the captive cultists to follow. As Rothburn was securing the cell door, Stanley rushed over to a bank of controls and activated an electrical field around the cell.

 

                The twelve borrowed field agents were engaging in celebratory behaviors, hooting and congratulating each other. Stanley and Rothburn were peering at the aliens with undisguised curiosity, and Pete Tyler was wiping his forehead. Jake was watching the group of Voitar closely. He had just realized that they had all turned to focus on one female near the back. She was holding up a blue pendant on a chain. There was a terrifying look of triumph on her face. The pendant began to pulse with light.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just the epilogue after this. I might put it up later today.

** Chapter 19 **

 

 

                Jake

 

 

Faintly, from far upstairs, they heard what might have been screaming. There were only two people left up there, now that Jackie and Donna had gone for the night. For them to be hearing it on the fourth level below ground…

 

                Jake didn’t hesitate. He pulled his weapon and flicked the setting to fire actual bullets. He aimed at the pendant in the woman’s hands and shouted for Stanley to drop the field. Stanley, fortunately didn’t argue, instead he raced to obey. As the humming sound of electricity faded from the air Jake fired at the pulsing gemstone. It shattered and silence fell. Even the faint sounds from upstairs had ceased.

 

                After a frozen moment, the aliens all began making a racket at once, while Pete thundered orders at the field agents. The woman who had been holding the pendant was screaming. Her hands were shredded. Then, Pete and Jake were racing for the elevator, dragging Marcus Stanley with them. They needed to get to Rose and Emmett.

 

                At the end of an extremely tense elevator ride, the three men rushed to the conference room that was now temporary home to the two who must have been screaming. When they entered, Rose and Emmett appeared to be sleeping, wrapped up in each other in between the cots, which seemed to have been pushed apart violently. As they got nearer, they could see that the pair’s breathing was labored, and they were both a pale, pale white.

 

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                She remembered pain. She no longer felt pain, but it was the only clear memory she could summon. She knew, of course, that the pain couldn’t be all that there was. She was in the after-pain, now. Surely there had also been a before-pain. As she contemplated this, she took in her surroundings. The after-pain was an all-white environment, featureless as far as she could see. White ground and white sky, impossible to distinguish between the two at a distance. She decided she might as well walk. She could explore the after-pain, while she tried to remember the before-pain. The pain itself was quite vivid in her mind. The pain had been _fire_ and _agony_. It had been the feeling of her _self_ being separated from her _body_. This cool white was a great change and a great relief. Maybe, it wasn’t worth remembering the before-pain. Maybe, it was enough that there was an after-pain.

 

                As if it had been triggered by this thought she saw a woman in the near distance in front of her. Finding this new development interesting, she hurried to see who the woman could be. She saw that the woman was blonde, wearing jeans and a purple zipped sweatshirt. When she got close she saw the woman’s eyes were a glowing gold color. The woman grinned at her, “We meet one last time, Rose Tyler.”

 

                Rose started. That was her name. That must have come from the before-pain. She hadn’t known that that was her name until the strange woman had spoken it, but she was sure of it, now. She touched her head and tried to grab hold of anything else that might be there. There was a flash of brown eyes, but it was gone an instant after it appeared. She glared at the woman. “So, who are you, then? Since you know who I am.”

 

                “I am sorry that you cannot remember anything at the moment. It was something of a defense mechanism, but… The Voitar were almost successful. Only the quick action of your friend saved your life and that of your match. Unfortunately, the violence of his method resulted in a separation for the two of you. The timing was… poor. You were sharing dreams, unconsciously seeking each other, vulnerable. You must remember him, and you must find him, here. If you do not join, you will never return to your body. You will both be trapped in this place. I will help you remember. He has already remembered you, and I can feel his growing panic as he seeks you. You are halves of a whole, and you must join.”

 

                “What do you mean join? What match?” Rose felt her heart accelerate, but she wasn’t exactly sure why. Another flash of brown eyes passed through her mind.

 

                “Let me show you.” The golden-eyed woman put her hands to Rose’s temples and Rose gasped as an avalanche of memories flooded her head. She remembered everything about who she was. And she remembered something precious. A man with brown hair and eyes. A handshake and a difficult tour. Arguing about the value of a psychic. A crazed kidnapping victim and a blood test. An awkward lunch. Forest green and kisses and _love_ and _Emmett_.

 

                “I have to find him!”

 

                “Yes. And you must join,” said the echo of the Bad Wolf.

 

                “You mean we have to bond. If we don’t we’ll be stuck here? What happens to our bodies?”

 

                “Nothing. Your bodies will survive, but it will be as if you were dead to those who know you.”

 

                “Right. Not good. No problem, we’ll bond. It’s what we both want anyway. Where is he?”

 

                “I cannot bring you together, you must walk. You will find each other. Goodbye, Rose Tyler. Have a fantastic life.” This time the echo didn’t fade, she was just abruptly no longer there.

 

                “Okay. Time to find my husband-to-be and return to the land of the living, I think.” And she started walking.

 

 

 

                Emmett

 

 

                When the pain ceased its eternal torment he was terrified to realize that he did not know who he was. He had no idea where he was, or what he had been, or even if there _was_ anything he was supposed to remember. He had jumped up and started walking across the blank, white landscape at a brisk, just-shy-of-panic fuelled pace. He didn’t even know if he was fleeing something, or running towards something, emotionally. As his pace began to approach a full-on run, his head was suddenly filled with golden light, and it felt like a bell had been rung inside of it. His run slid to a stop. He remembered. A young, gorgeous, blonde widow. An unnerving near-threat from a psychic and a fierce flash of protectiveness. An awkward dinner and a blood test. Kissing and golden light and _love_ and _Rose_.

 

                “Rose.” It came out as a whisper. He had to find her. Along with his memories had come a strong urge to find her and get out of this white place. This place… was not normal. He still didn’t know exactly what it was, but he felt… disconnected. Missing something. He resumed trotting forward, trying to keep his fear in check. He _needed_ her and he _had_ to find her.

 

                He had no idea how long he trotted like that. All he knew was that his panic was slowly getting the better of him, the longer he went without finding her. Then he saw a figure in the distance. His steps faltered, and then he moved with renewed speed. The nearer he got the more certain he became that it was her until his smile was splitting his face because he could see her clearly. Her face was wearing a magnificent smile as she propelled herself straight into his arms. And then he was kissing her, and that flutter was in his head and he let her in. That wonderful golden glow was everywhere and she was kissing him like she didn’t ever want to stop.

 

                Eventually they had to breathe, but her arms stayed around his neck and his stayed around her waist. She leaned her head against his chest while she caught her breath. _Emmett. We’ll have to… do something if we don’t want to be stuck here forever. We’re sort of… separated from our bodies right now, I think._

_Mmmmmm. I definitely don’t want to be stuck here. This place feels wrong. How do we leave?_

_Um. I found another message from myself. Before I found you. It said…. It said we were halves of a whole. That if we wanted to return to our bodies and um… loved ones and all that, that we needed to join._

_Join._

_Yeah. I… I’m pretty sure it meant the bond. Um. If you still want. I’d understand, if it still seems too soon, but I, well we don’t want to be stuck here and… It wouldn’t have to be a… a marriage if you’re not ready for that and--_

                “Rose. Are you proposing to me?” He couldn’t help but tease her, even as his heart soared. _Of course I still want. It wouldn’t have to be a marriage?! It’s… It’s more than a marriage. Isn’t it? Although we could have one of those, too._

 

                Rose was crying now, but the gold in his head told him they were happy tears. She was beaming up at him. “Are _you_ proposing to _me_ , detective?”

 

                “Yes. Would you like to be Rose Carver? Wait. Actually, why aren’t you Rose Smith?”

 

                Rose giggled a bit at his side track. “Because John Smith wasn’t a name he had any attachment to. And he said that to him, I would always be Rose Tyler.” She said her own name slightly differently that time, and her eyes drifted closed briefly. All he felt through their connection was affection. He couldn’t find even a shred of jealousy within himself for the men who had come before. Her eyes opened again and she continued, “So I stayed Rose Tyler. But, I would be _honored_ to become Rose Carver.” Her words were a faint echo of the ones he had said to her after her burn ordeal. “Plus, Mum will probably jump at the chance to throw another big party. She loves ‘em. How do you feel about being introduced to London society, detective?” She batted her eyes at him and offered a wicked grin. “But first we need to get out of here. I’m not sure how long we’ve been out of it, but I’m sure that everyone is having a right freak out about now. Especially Mum.”

 

                “Right. Let’s go home. What do we do?”

 

 

 

                Jake

 

 

                It had been forty-eight hours since the disastrous round up of the Voitar. Rose and Emmett Carver had not yet regained consciousness. Jake sat slumped in a chair in the infirmary at Torchwood Gracepoint. The two of them had been moved here, after Pete had made the arrangements and seen the twenty-seven aliens sent off to London. He said he hadn’t decided yet what to do with them, but Jake knew that there wasn’t much to be done. It was unlikely any of them could be swayed from their beliefs. Which meant that they would have to be monitored for Rose’s and Carver’s safety. Indefinitely.

 

                Nadia’s team had returned four hours after the main group. They hadn’t found any more Voitar, but they had located the transmat device. They had done their best to dismantle it and had brought as many pieces back as they could carry. At least now they were confident the pair wouldn’t be unexpectedly stolen away again.

 

                Jackie had stayed by Rose’s side for nearly forty of the forty-eight hours, with only a short nap on one of Torchwood’s cots in the middle. She and Pete had gone to get as much sleep as they could at Rose’s cottage just about two hours past now. There didn’t appear to be anything medically wrong with the two of them. They simply wouldn’t wake up. Their color had improved steadily from the pale color they had first found on them. They only appeared to be in any discomfort if any attempt were made to separate them. So, they had simply placed them in adjacent hospital beds, lowered the rails on the sides facing each other, pushed them together, and treated it like it was one bed. For the first day, everyone had been confident that they would wake up, when they recovered from whatever the Voitar woman had been trying to do. But as the time wore on, their chances of waking faded. It had been a very grim atmosphere at Torchwood that evening.

 

                Jake’s thoughts were grim, as well. He knew Rose didn’t blame him for what had happened to the Doctor, but he still blamed himself. The half-alien who had taken the name John Smith had become his very best friend. He blamed himself also for what had happened to Rose on Tuesday. She had nearly died. And now, he blamed himself for the current situation. It was his fault the woman had been close enough to them to attempt to use her pendant. He should have had the Voitar searched before jumping them back to Torchwood.

 

                He had been very concerned for Rose, when Emmett Carver had first joined their team here in Gracepoint. In the beginning, she had seemed almost terrified of the man, but, Rose being Rose, she was determined not to blame him for something he couldn’t help. Then, within only a few days, she had changed from wariness to acceptance, to something even more. Then his concern had grown. He had been afraid that it had been too much for her, that she was seeing the Doctor instead of Carver. When they had discovered that Carver was himself telepathic, Jake had forced himself to consider that Rose was just fine, and that he had no context to judge their relationship. While both Rose and the Doctor had on occasion used touch to pass him messages silently, he himself was most definitely not telepathic. So, he’d decided to trust her decisions, like he had done for years now.

 

                Out of the corner of his eye, he detected movement. He leaned forward and focused on the pair on the beds. Again, there was a slight movement. All of his remorse was replaced in a flash with hope as he jumped up to pull his phone out. Pete and Jackie would want to know, even if they were dead to the world asleep. He continued to watch the sleeping couple as his phone rang three times. Pete answered halfway through the fourth ring, “Tyler.”

 

                “Pete. They’re stirring. I think they’re waking up. I figured you and Jackie would want to hear immediately.”

 

                Pete’s voice cleared as he replied, “We’ll be there in an hour. Thanks, Jake. Bye.” And Pete was gone. Jake went to stand over the beds and felt a smile break out on his face. It was the first in days. Rose and Emmett now had their arms wrapped around each other, kissing passionately and were therefore apparently awake. He gave them a second before he cleared his throat and spoke.

 

                “Welcome back, sleeping beauties. You gave us quite a scare.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the end. Thanks so much to everyone who has commented on this story and also everyone who didn't comment but still came along for the ride.

** Epilogue **

 

 

 

                Rose

 

 

                There was no time and there was no space. There was only dark green warmth and liquid gold light and lips and teeth and limbs tangled. Some of these things were hers and some were his but there was no knowing which were which. It was a distinction without meaning for this eternal moment. The moment resounded with the sensation of a thing slotting into place. Of completion and of homecoming.

 

                But the moment wasn’t truly eternal, as moments can never be, and time, and space, and self returned slowly. Rose found herself wrapped around Emmett, his own arms holding her firmly to him. They were kissing, tongues tangled, just as they had been in that white no-place. As they had been as they completed their bond. _Bond-mate. Husband_. As self returned she felt giddy with delight. Then a rather unwelcome noise intruded as she heard a throat being cleared.

 

                “Welcome back, sleeping beauties. You gave us quite a scare.”

 

                She broke away from Emmett with a gasp as Jake’s voice registered. She could tell from the knot of dark green, which now had its own spot in her mind, that Emmett was not pleased at her abrupt end to their snog. She didn’t think he had yet registered their surroundings, as his hooded eyes focused on her lips and he chased after her with a growl. “Jake,” she managed to rasp before her own restrain broke and they gave Jake more of a show. Fortunately, her use of another man’s name stopped his pursuit and seemed to cause him to finally take notice of their location.

 

                He fell back onto his back and huffed a sigh of frustration and a giggle burst from her lips. “Your timing is terrible, Simmonds,” he glared at the blonde man standing over them.

 

                Rose cleared her own throat so she could ask, “How long have we been out? What’s happened?”

 

                “You’ve been unconscious for about two days. It’s Friday night now. Your mum and Pete are on their way. Although, they’re probably still pretty wiped out; they’ve been here pretty much since everything went to hell. They just left to get some sleep a couple of hours ago.”

 

                “And, what happened with the Voitar? Actually, what happened to us? Does anyone know?”

 

                Jake looked embarrassed and guilty. “It’s my fault, Rose. They let us gather them up like sheep. Pete and I knew something had to be up, but we didn’t know what. We thought, maybe they had some of their number hidden, and this strange surrender was a fake out or something. We left Nadia’s team behind for a thorough sweep, and jumped back with the ones we captured. I should’ve searched them first. I never saw it until we were back here, downstairs. One of them had a device. A pendant of some sort. It wasn’t a transmat, so that field we rigged up here didn’t make a difference. She held it up and it started flashing and we heard… we heard you screaming. All the way down there, we heard you screaming. I shot the pendant and it shattered. Shattered her hands, too. You stopped screaming, but we couldn’t wake you up. We couldn’t even pull you away from each other without the two of you reacting like we were stabbing you. Only thing that got a reaction from either of you. So, we shipped them off to London for more permanent containment, and brought the two of you here.”

 

                “Jake.” She reached out of the bed and took her friend by the hand. As she did so she noticed that she and Emmett were in a pair of hospital beds pushed together to make one. She blushed as she realized her parents must have seen them together like that. Jake had said that the only thing they seemed to react to while unconscious was separation. “It is _not_ your fault. You couldn’t have known she could do that. It happened to me and I’m still not sure what _that_ was. Or how they did it. Or how you could have possibly stopped it. Don’t blame yourself. And, we’re okay.” She turned from Jake and smiled warmly at her _bond-mate_ as she continued, “We’re _so much more_ than okay.”

 

                Emmett smiled back at her. “We are definitely more than okay at the moment. Although, I’m not sure what I wouldn’t do for a shower right now. Did you say it’s _Friday_?!”

 

                “Er, yeah,” Jake stammered. “Friday night. Almost eleven, now. I expect Pete and Jackie will be here soon. I could… I could give you a ride home, after they get here, Emmett. I actually have your keys. From when we searched your house. I’m pretty sure Jackie will insist on taking Rose home.”

 

                _No. Don’t worry love._ She could feel Emmett beginning to panic at the thought of going home to separate houses a full mile and a half apart. “I’m going home with him, Jake. Mum and Dad can sleep in my bed. If I go to the cottage, Mum will want to share the bed with me and give Dad the sofa, and there’s just no need for that.”

 

                _Won’t your parents…_

 

                _I don’t care. Bond-mate. We’ll tell them we’re engaged._

 

                _Do they know about… this? Telepathy? Bonding?_

 

                _No. There’s never been a need. Only Jake and Donna._

 

                “Rose, are you sure? You know Jackie, and she’s been completely beside her self.” Jake was responding to her words while their inner conversation took place.

 

                “I’m sure, Jake. She’ll be relieved after she talks to me, then everyone will get much needed sleep in a real bed. After some of us take long overdue showers. Personally, I might sleep through Saturday altogether. In fact, don’t call me unless the entire universe is imploding. On second thought, don’t even call me then. Nothing to be done for that, anyway.” And she lay back down and snuggled herself back against Emmett. _I love you._

 

                _I love you, too. Wife_.

 

 

 

                Emmett

 

 

                It was a warm, beautiful Saturday in June in Gracepoint. Emmett fiddled restlessly with the cuffs of his stifling tuxedo jacket. He was thinking about the massive changes in his life over the past three months. There was Rose, of course. _Rose._ That beautiful golden glow that now lived permanently in a corner of his mind. He could tell that right now she was overflowing with excitement and happiness and it helped moderate his own nervousness. He wasn’t nervous about the _marriage_ so much as the _wedding_. They already shared a bond much greater than a piece of paper. But, he didn’t particularly enjoy being the center of attention, and it was a bit difficult to avoid attention at your own wedding. He mused that he should just be grateful that he and Rose had been able to convince Jackie to have the wedding here instead of London.

 

                That wasn’t the only change. There was Torchwood. After their ordeal with the Voitar, he and Rose had spoken at length about whether he would be interested in joining Torchwood formally, as a field agent. He had found the idea intriguing enough that he had agreed. It had meant telling Pete about his abilities, but that was as far as that information was to go. As far as anyone else, even at Torchwood, was concerned, he was simply a police liaison who had been recruited into the organization. Ellie had of course jumped at the chance to take his place as liaison. She’d been a bit disappointed when nothing alien had come up since her assignment. In appeasement, he and Rose had finally allowed her into the very small inner circle who knew about their abilities. She had been spending so much time around Rose and Donna that it had probably been inevitable. She and her boys were here today.

 

                So was Julianne. She and Rose had hit it off to a frightening degree. He had been wary of introducing them, but it had turned out his worries had been for entirely the wrong reasons. Instead of resenting Rose, his daughter had adored her from the first minute. They had then proceeded to gang up on him. It had been worth every taunt and tease to see his girls laughing together, even at his expense.

 

                He was pulled from his thoughts as the music around him changed and everyone stood to look down the aisle. Rose was standing opposite him giving him a tongue-touched grin. He knew she was wearing a gorgeous, custom-made designer gown, but he couldn’t have said what the dress itself looked like. All he could see was her face and every other sense was focused on that spinning, sparkling place inside his head that was _her_. His bride. His _bond-mate_. His _wife_.

 

                The ceremony passed in a complete and utter blur to him, but he must have given the appropriate responses because he was kissing her and she was kissing him and he’d forgotten there was a wedding happening. A wedding at which they were the guests of honor. He remembered when the cat-calling started. They pulled back from each other and grinned out at their gathered friends.

 

                _I love you. Let’s have a fantastic life, Husband._

 

                _Absolutely fantastic, Wife._

 

 

 

**The end**


End file.
